the rail engineer - issue 89 - march 2012

March 2012

i s s u e

written by rail engineers for rail engineers available online at www.therailengineer.com

Paris Metro Line 1

Unattended Train Operation(UTO) with no member of staffon board.

TelecommunicatingTodayNew Network Rail TelecomsDirector Andy Hudson, speaksto Clive Kessell.

Showing your gauge

The growth of the networkgauge-cleared for High CubeContainers is very visible.

Signalling for the futureNETWORK RAIL ANNOUNCES £1.5 BILLION FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS

89

march 2012 | the rail engineer | 3welcome

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EditorGrahame [email protected]

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Signalling for the future 6Network Rail announces £1.5 billion FrameworkAgreements.

ERTMS reaches Croatia 16The first railway line to be equipped with ERTMS.

Levelling on Crossings 24Grahame Taylor speaks with Martin Gallagher,Network Rail’s Head of Level Crossings.

Paris Metro Line 1 - A New Beginning 28Having no member of staff on a train carries a newset of risks, all of which have to be considered.

Showing your gauge 34The growth of the network gauge-cleared for HighCube Containers is a very visible indication of theinvestment in rail freight.

Ingenuity at the Interface 38Interfaces are a known problem, but could they bemanaged better if an inter-disciplinary approachwere to be adopted.

Preventing runaways 41All Class 9b excavators have to be fitted with abraking system that acts directly on the rail wheels.

Managing Earthworks 44Network Rail’s Senior Asset Engineer (Geotechnics)Graham Birch, explains some of the measures tomonitor and manage embankments.

Infrarail Show Special; Environment April

Rolling Stock/Depots; Track May

in this issue

forthcomingfeatures

This being the rail engineer’s signalling edition,we lead with interviews with four leading signallingprotagonists. Nigel Wordsworth has had thesignalling framework contracts explained alongwith reactions from the successful tenderers. Aword keeps cropping up - ‘stability’.

The first in Clive Kessell’s tetrology this month isan interview with Network Rail’s telecoms supremo,Andy Hudson. With a sound background in railwaytelecoms, Andy is taking the company forward tocater for the current and future demands of therailway network and passengers.

In a glorious mix of high and low technology,Clive looks at the use of optical time domainreflectometers to detect rock falls. Their possibleuse in a railway environment has promptedspectacular trials involving lobbing artificialboulders at a simulated railway.

Over on the Paris Metro they have introducedUTO on Line 1. When you realise that UTO standsfor Unattended Train Operation and that the Line 1infrastructure dates back to 1900 and that at thestart of the project there was no proven UTOsystem, it’s clear that this was indeed an ambitiousexercise.

Completing Clive’s tour de force is his coverage ofa recent seminar on managing interfaces. This isfundamental stuff. If you want a project to go wellthen engage all the engineering and operatingdisciplines at the outset and don’t be surprised athow many interfaces you encounter.

People/vehicles and trains don’t mix and a levelcrossing is where they all can congregate. So it’sextraordinary that the default position of some userorganisations is to object to a closure even whenit’s an eminently good idea. We talk to NetworkRail’s head of level crossings and find that so oftenit’s about people and their behaviour.

Nigel, along with an ashen-faced gathering at theRail Innovation and Development Centre, was

treated to the spectacle of a 28 tonne road/railerpowerless to stop on greasy rails. The need tomodify braking systems was amply demonstrated.

After a crash course - perhaps an unfortunatephrase after his road rail experience - in Swedish,Nigel went to look at the Gröna Tåget (Green Train).It’s more of a concept than an actual train at themoment. But just look at the practicalities neededto make a train function in severe Nordic conditionsand it becomes all the more ambitious to then startaddressing ‘green’ issues on top.

They’ll be everywhere soon. The high cube 9’6”containers are on the march. Not everywhereperhaps. There are still some significant lumps ofrailway infrastructure in the way, but as MungoStacy tells us, the growth of the network gauge-cleared for high cube containers is a very visibleindication of the investment in rail freight.

David Shirres has been to the National RailwayMuseum to absorb the history of the Institution ofLocomotive Engineers (IMechE’s Railway Division).The exhibition “Talking about Trains” abounds withreferences to such titans as Gresley, Stanier andBulleid. But, history aside, the organisation hasmoved quickly into the internet age.

Chris Parker looks at the Bletchley re-modelling.Originally part of the West Coast RouteModernisation project, it was revised as a simpler,more cost effective scheme. Nevertheless, thescope is still ambitious, with completion not dueuntil June 2013.

In complete contrast, Chris gives a fascinatinginsight into how the alignment of a railwayinfluences its reaction to underlying geology. Thisseems to work in the southern part of Britain whichis dominated by various forms of slippery splodge(technical term) but not in the North which sits onrock. He also dispels the myth that trees on acutting slope are a ‘good thing’. So the RailwayChildren film was right after all!

The number of companiesplanning to take part in this year’sInfrarail exhibition of railinfrastructure products and servicesstood at more than 160 by mid-February, with plenty of newproducts expected to be on displayand innovation promising to be akey feature of the event.

The NEC in Birmingham is againthe venue for the exhibition, whichtakes place from 1st to 3rd May.Online registration for free visitorentry is now open via the showwebsite www.infrarail.com Pre-registering also avoids a £15 feepayable to register on the door.

As well as an impressive line-upof exhibitors’ stands, this year’sshow includes the familiar On TrackDisplay plus a new area, The Yard,presenting larger plant andmachinery used for railwayconstruction and maintenance.And opportunities for developingbusiness relationships will beprovided by the opening day’sNetworking Reception forexhibitors and visitors to the show,and by the Infrarail Awards Dinner

on 2 May.Plans for an extensive free seminar

programme devised by the railengineer are now well advanced,with an impressive line-up ofkeynote speakers. Minister of Statefor Transport Theresa Villiers willdeliver a presentation on the firstday of the show, with HowardSmith, Chief Operating Officer,London Rail at Transport for London,speaking on 2 May. Network Rail’sDirector, Investment Projects, SimonKirby will be keynote speaker on thethird day, 3 May.

Also taking place, and open to allattending Infrarail, will be ThePlatform. This new feature will takethe form of a programme of paneldiscussions addressing key industrytopics. Panel members will includeboth senior figures from within theindustry and outside specialistslikely to introduce new perspectivesto the issues being discussed.

Full programmes for all theseactivities will be added to the showwebsite as they are finalised. Alsoavailable via the website is the latestlist of exhibitors.

4 | the rail engineer | march 2012 news

A larger and more accessibleBlackfriars Underground stationreopened for public service recentlyto accommodate more than 40,000passengers every day. The 60%increase in footfall follows theredevelopment of BlackfriarsUnderground station which has beencompletely rebuilt over three years.

New lifts and escalators make thestation easier to access and a curvedglass façade floods the spaciousnew entrance hall with natural light.

The upgrade is the latest in a seriesof improvements that are triplingthe number of trains that runthrough Blackfriars on theThameslink route each hour.

The new Underground station ispart of a complete redevelopmentof both the Tube and national railparts of Blackfriars stations byNetwork Rail. Mainline platforms fornational rail services now span theRiver Thames on a reconstructedVictorian rail bridge, making way for

longer trains on the Thameslinkroute through central London. Thestation can also now be accessedfrom the south bank of the river anda new entrance hall on the northbank provides convenient access toboth Thameslink and LondonUnderground services.

The project has also provided jobsfor 13,000 people over the last threeyears, with 2,000 people working onthe site each day at the busiesttimes.

Blackfriars is back

Infrarail comes togetherCONFERENCE

IN BRIEF

More tube coolingWork to improve London’s rail

infrastructure in time for the Olympicscontinues apace. Latest announcementis a plan to cool six platforms at OxfordCircus underground station.

Birse Metro has been awarded acontract to install a new water coolingsystem. Chiller units will be installed onthe roof, and the cooled water pipeddown, using existing ventilation ducts,to a new plant room which will beconstructed and fitted out withinWestern House. From there the chilledwater will be pumped down to 14Passenger Air Handling Units at platformlevel.

Safety Director to addressSafety Summit

Gareth Llewellyn, Network Rail’sDirector Safety and SustainableDevelopment, has been confirmed as akey speaker at this year’s Rail SafetySummit. Now in its third year, the RailSafety Summit will be held on Thursday19 April at Loughborough University,and Gareth adds to a line-up of speakersfrom organisations such as FirstGroup,Transport for London, ORR, SouthernRailway, Bridgeway Consulting, TargetLeadership, Emergency IncidentConsultant Willie Baker and Zonegreen.

Now widely recognised as theprincipal conference on rail safety, theline-up of speakers will be sure to attracta full audience. For more details, visitwww.railsafetysummit.com.

IEP depot approvedThe much-delayed IEP programme

took another step towards fruitionrecently as planning permission hasbeen approved for a depot at StokeGifford, close to Bristol Parkway station.Approval is for a depot that will be ableto house two full-length trains, as well asassociated offices and sidings.

Local residents had fought a campaignto have the planning applicationrejected, but South Gloucestershirecouncil approved the plans. Work isexpected to start this summer, althoughthe formal order for IEP trains has yet tobe placed by the DfT. A spokesman saidthat completion of the formalities isexpected by “spring 2012”.

STATIONS

9th International Railway Infrastructure Exhibition

1-3 May 2012 Hall 3, NEC | Birmingham, UKFeaturing: On Track Display, Seminar Theatre, Networking Area, Opening Ceremony, The Yard, Networking Reception, hundreds of exhibitors, thousands of products.

6 | the rail engineer | march 2012 signalling/telecoms

ETWORK RAIL ANNOUNCES £1.5BILLION FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS.

That was the title of a press release receivedin the Ashby offices of the rail engineer inthe middle of January.

This seemed like extremely good news forthe industry, at least for the three companiesinvolved. There was obviously a story behindthis release, so your favourite railwayengineering magazine got on its bike (or the08:32 from East Midlands Parkway) and setout to discover more.

The first objective was to uncover the factsbehind the announcement, and MarkSouthwell, Network Rail’s ProgrammeDirector (Signalling), seemed a good personto help with that.

The factsTo start with, the three contracts that have

been let are zero-value frameworkagreements. This is commonly the way it isdone. The framework is just what it says, aframework on which other orders andcontracts are built. Those contracts have thevalue, not the framework, and it is the totalof those expected orders over the nextseven years that are expected to total £1.5billion.

Secondly, the framework is actually onlyfor two years, with an option to renew for afurther five. This is because the budgets forCP5 haven’t yet been set, and Network Railcannot technically commit itself to spendingmoney it hasn’t got. However, this is atechnicality and the intention is that theframework will run until the next period endin 2019.

If you, dear reader, are not a signalengineer, and get slightly confused whilereading signalling articles as they are packedfull of acronyms and jargon, you will bepleased to hear that signalling contracts areno different. In an attempt to “simplify”pricing, they use the Signalling EquivalentUnit (SEU) concept. This is a method ofbreaking down a job into the hardware itcontains, such as interlockings, pointcontrols, signals and level crossings, andthen calculating those into a number ofSignalling Equivalent Units. The cost per SEUis then fairly constant, and can be used tocalculate the value of the whole job. Back in2006, Network Rail was using a value of£270,000 per SEU and the goal is to reducethis.

The contractors based their quotations onthe cost per SEU, and to “simplify” this evenfurther, they used four versions of an SEU:• Type 1 - a complete multi-disciplinary

contract• Type 2 - Signalling only• Type 3 - Modular signalling• Type 4 - Relocking.

Add to this a discount or premiumdepending on the job’s location - a job neara main road is cheaper to do than one in themiddle of a Scottish moor - and you have a“simple” basis on which to calculate the costof any signalling job.

Based on quoted prices per SEU, as well asother factors, three contractors were chosento supply Network Rail with the bulk of itssignalling requirements over the period ofthe framework. This is not new work, it is thesignalling replacement and renewal workthat would have happened anyway, but theframework will allow the contractors tomake long-term efficiency savings and thesewill be passed on to Network Rail in the formof reduced prices per SEU.

Every job still has to be priced. However,with the price per SEU already fixed by theframework agreement, this will come downto a calculation of the number of SEUs in anyjob and the value of the non-SEU work.There will be no need for the slow, andpotentially expensive, conventionaltendering process.

N

for the futureSignalling

w r i t e rNigelWordsworth

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2"?23-.4@"?<255F"2,="L305.9"MN"8.9O2,F

Signalling Solutions is a leader in the provision of train control solutions in the UK, offering a complete range of services from design to full project delivery.

Our expertise and experience in supporting the UK’s rail network has placed us at the heart of innovation and technological development within the sector.

Integr8 is a modular signalling solution, meeting the demands of modern railway networks. Innovative products and applications provide safer, faster installation and reduce system whole life costs. Using the latest interlocking technology, Smartlock, Integr8 is future ready for ERTMS.

Iconis is a centralised supervisory system that gives you complete visibility and control over your network operations in real-time. The system increases reliability and traffi c fl ow across your network and has been successfully implemented in busy mainline and metro applications world-wide.

The Atlas ERTMS system now accounts for more than 70% of all full level 2 supervised tracks across Europe, in successful commercial operation, delivering on its promises and supported by our expertise and experience in managing major rail projects.


PartnershipThere will be other benefits too, as Mark

explained: “We intend to work in partnershipwith our suppliers. This will smooth out thepeaks and troughs that normally occur inthe business, allowing us to plan a moreconstant workload for our suppliers.”

The framework is split down into eightgeographical areas, with each area having aprimary and secondary supplier. Normally,the primary will do all the work in thatregion, but if they are unable to do a job forany reason, such as lack of capacity, then thesecondary contractor will be asked to step in.

Network Rail still reserves the right to put ajob out to competitive tender. This will bedone from time to time to assess pricecompetitiveness in the market, and for otherreasons. However, even major work will fallwithin the scope of the framework. MarkSouthwell commented that the recentcontracts covering Cardiff, Nottingham,Glasgow and Wolverhampton would havegone to the framework contractors if theagreement had been in place at the time.

Asked whether this new arrangement wasa reaction to the recent McNulty report ondelivering a better value railway, Markcommented: “Network Rail knew it had todrive through efficiencies long beforeMcNulty’s report came out, as the regulatorhad set us a target of delivering a 24%efficiency improvement in CP4. The McNultyreport highlighted the challenges we face,and focussed thinking on the need to reducecosts, but this programme was alreadyunderway, as are other similar projects.”

The three recipients of the new frameworkare very different companies. SignallingSolutions Limited (SSL), Atkins and Invensyswill share the work on a geographical basisas shown in the table. How will the newarrangement affect them?

Signalling SolutionsThe joint venture company of Signalling

Solutions was formed in 2007. Alstom hadbeen a supplier of signalling technology tothe railway industry for years, but in a firstattempt at rationalisation Network Rail hadsuggested that Alstom signalling in the UKshould have turnkey capabilities, includinginstallation and testing. This was a capabilitythat Alstom had lost when it sold its 51%stake in infrastructure company GTRM topartner Carillion in 2001. Looking aroundthe market, a best match was found inBalfour Beatty Rail, which at the time waslooking for a technology partner in order tomaximise the potential of their projectmanagement and delivery skills. A jointventure - Signalling Solutions Ltd - wasformed and based at Alstom’sBorehamwood plant and Balfour Beatty’sDerby offices.

Steve McLaren, Managing Director of SSL,met the rail engineer in his office atBorehamwood surrounded by packingcases - the wholecompany is about tomove to new premises atRadlett. He rememberedthose early years of thejoint venture.

“Network Rail was verysupportive”, he recalled.“Having pushed Alstomto make the change, wethen very quicklyreceived a couple ofcontracts so we couldput the combined teaminto action. The extensiveknowledge, experienceand capability of bothorganisations, in terms oftechnology, design,

engineering, project management,installation and testing, form the basis ofSSL today.

“Alstom are world leaders in signallingtechnologies such as ERTMS, CBTC andinterlocking, whereas Balfour Beatty has aninternational reputation as civilengineering contractors and projectmanagers. We have two very supportiveparents.”

The company is certainly growing rapidly.From those early times in 2007 it employed330 in 2010. Last year it recruited anadditional 100, and plans to do the sameagain in 2012.

“Things were quiet a year or so ago,” Steveremembers, “and we had to let a few peoplego. However, now the situation is muchimproved and we have our own people towork in specialist areas. We will use partnersto cover any peak demands.”

With a current annual turnover of £80-90million, what will the new framework meanto SSL? “Security” was Steve’s one-word

Plan Design Enable

Delivering rail solutions through design and engineering excellence>

To find out more: [email protected] 01372 256 927

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answer. “The ability to plan a long-termworkload and to retain good people. We havereinstated our graduate training programme,and are also taking on apprentices. We aretrying to make SSL an attractive business tojoin - and the safest. Did you know we haven’thad a RIDDOR accident for three years?

“We also plan to invest in new technologiesand tools to do things smarter and even safer.Generic technology R&D will continue to bedone by Alstom; where necessary SSL shalladapt that to the UK market. It is essential tokeep introducing new technology into the UKand maintain a healthy portfolio, for ourbusiness and most importantly for the benefitof our customers.”

AtkinsAnother of the successful bidders is a very

different company. John Martin is RegionalProgramme Director for Atkins, and the biddirector for the new signalling framework.

“We don’t have any product of our own,” hefreely admits. “That means we are not tied to aproduct line so we can choose the best. We

can drive innovation forward and come upwith the best engineering solution to suit theclient - it gives us more flexibility.”

Atkins has been delivering major signallingcontracts since the 1990s, and it is a significantpart of the business. In terms of additionalwork, John doesn’t see much difference. “Thethree companies involved are the three mostsuccessful in the market anyway. Invensys isprobably the biggest, and SSL have beensuccessful recently due to their Smartlockproduct. So in terms of market share thereprobably is no big change.

“However, this contract will make us all moreefficient. We will be able to cut down ontendering costs, and there will be economiesof scale in various areas. Above all there will bestability which will give us the incentive todevelop new technologies.”

On the face of it, one area of weakness inAtkins’ portfolio is modular signalling. Invensysare already nearing completion of a modularproject at Shrewsbury-Crewe while SSL haveone between Ely and Norwich. However, Johnrefutes this: “We have done the initial designs,done the thought process, and new producthas come on the market. Our project at Cardiffis all plug coupled and uses Frauscher axlecounters, so we have used quite a lot ofmodular technology even though it is notstrictly a modular project.”

Atkins has done a lot of signallingconsultancy abroad. They are client-sideconsultants in Denmark, have been involved inprojects in the USA, and have offices in theMiddle East. John Martin sees the way forwardto be the formation of strong strategicpartnerships to deliver turnkey projects.

Our centralised suite of control applications allow you to manage and monitor trains safely, efficiently and reliably.

Now thanks to ROAME (Railway Operations Administration & Maintenance Environment), you can seamlessly integrate all your railway intelligence into a single software solution. This gives you the flexibility to react to critical incidents - maximising safety and service delivery. No wonder we score highly with train operators the world over.

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Our reputation is assured thanks to the well known rail signalling companies Westinghouse, Dimetronic & Safetran, who together make up Invensys Rail.

Find out how we can help you succeed, visit www.invensysrail.com or call +44 (0) 1249 441441

ROAME from Invensys Rail. A totally integrated solution

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InvensysThe largest of the three suppliers in terms

of the UK market, Invensys, probably had themost to lose from the division of work in thenew arrangement. However, William Wilson,Commercial Director, doesn’t see it that way.“Looking at the split of regions, and the workwe know is coming up, we think we haveapproximately half of the market - that’s ourbest guess.”

He is happy with the geographical splittoo. “ For many years we’ve had a significantpresence in Scotland and we’re pleased tobe able to continue the excellent work withNetwork Rail in this area. Wales & Westprovides the opportunity for expansion andindeed our base in Chippenham is wellplaced geographically to support this area.

But by far the largest area in terms ofworkload is the Central West area, which willsee the delivery of some of the mostsignificant signalling projects in the UKduring the lifetime of the frameworks.Coupled with the Thameslink Key Output 2

Framework which we secured lastyear, we are delighted with ournewly defined footprint”.

Invensys is a technology company,although it has its own projectmanagers and deputies. Installationis conducted using agency staffunder Invensys direct management,and testing is carried out by a mix ofin-house and agency teams.

The new framework agreementwill give the company theconfidence to invest more in R&D.Will added, “The real benefit to us isstability. It will allow us to enter intolonger-term partnershipagreements, and pass that stabilitydown the line. And as most of ourproducts are made in the UK, it willgive more security to our Britishmanufacturing workforce.”

What follows?So, all three contractors seem

relatively content. As in any contractthere are winners and losers; six

other organisations expressed an interest sothey will be disappointed, but hopefully thenew arrangement will allow Network Rail toachieve its efficiency improvements and costsavings, while delivering a better railway.

What comes next? Well, there are twomore contracts to be announced shortly. Thefirst is the ETCS framework. Threecontractors (from a shortlist of six) will beselected to take ERTMS in the UK one stagefurther by building pilot schemes on theHertford loop. Following that, two will bechosen to install live ERTMS systems on theGreat Western and the East Coast Main Lineby about 2018. An announcement on thefirst three is expected at the end of March.

Then in April, the new framework for TrafficManagement will be revealed. Tenders wentin at the end of January. This is the schemeto reduce all the signal boxes in the countryto 14 signalling control centres by about2025. The signalling portion of the work willform part of the signalling frameworkalready announced, but this will be overlaidby Traffic Management systems running atthe control centres.

All three of the signalling frameworkwinners have tendered for both contracts,along with several others. So once againthere will be winners and losers.

And that will more or less set the scene forsignalling for the next 15 years.

ScotlandCentral (west)Central (east)Wales & West

Great Western (inner)Great Western (outer)

Anglia & KentSussex & Wessex

InvensysInvensys

SSLInvensys

SSLSSL

AtkinsAtkins

SSLSSL

InvensysSSL

InvensysInvensys

SSLInvensys

Framework area Primary contractor Secondary contractor


Re-modellingBletchley

Chris Parkerw r i t e r

mongst the critical works completed byNetwork Rail and its suppliers over the

Christmas period were those at Bletchley, akey location on the West Coast Main-line(WCML). Using the traditional possession ofthe fast and slow lines through the festiveperiod from Christmas Eve through to 27December 2011, two new signal gantrieswith four new signals were fitted and

commissioned, a new signal gantry structurewas installed and major overhead linemodifications completed.

The Bletchley project, of which the workjust completed is a relatively small part, wasoriginally part of the West Coast RouteModernisation (WCRM) project. The planwas to re-model and re-signal the whole ofthe Milton Keynes/Bletchley area. However,the Bletchley part of the scheme was notrequired to deliver the WCRM principalobjective, which was to provide theinfrastructure to support Virgin’s Very High

Frequency 2008 timetable. So the originalBletchley scope of work was rejected byNetwork Rail and the project team wasasked to re-engineer the work and resubmita proposal for a simpler and more costeffective scheme. The revised proposal wassubmitted and in June 2009 it wasauthorised based on a project estimate of£123 million.

New scopeThe approved scope was to renew life

expired signalling and electrificationequipment that essentially dates back to the1960s, to remodel and realign the tracks topermit 125mph running on the up fast lineat Bletchley South junction, to extendplatforms at Bletchley station to allow for 12car trains on platforms 4&5, to replace otherlife expired assets (including track, telecomsand control equipment) and to recoverredundant assets. In addition, signallingcontrol of this section of the WCML was tobe moved from the Bletchley power signalbox to Rugby SCC while the Bedford /Bletchley lines were to come under thecontrol of Marston Vale SCC. A workstationto cover Bletchley had already beenprovided at Rugby SCC as a part of theWCRM works.

The delivery plan for the new schemeincorporated 8 main sequential stages inorder to minimise the disruption to theexisting railway operation. The first of thesestages was completed at Christmas 2010,when contractor Amey Colas installed thelast of 10 new point ends at new DraytonRoad and Water Eaton junctions. Thiscompleted Amey Colas’ involvement withthe project.

A


New contractorsIn late 2010 a further 6 contractors were

appointed for the main body of the works.Carillion was appointed to be the contractorfor the track and electrification works.Signalling and power works were awardedto Signalling Solutions Limited, telecoms totelent, control systems to GE TransportationSystems, civils works to the BuckinghamGroup and possession management toMDA.

The project team are currently workingtowards stage 6 of the project, the majorsignalling stage that will deliver the finalcommissioning of the new signalling andpower system and the re-control to Rugbyand Marston Vale as already described. Thisstage is planned to take place under a nineday possession at Christmas 2012. The firstfour days will involve closure of all lines,followed by 5 days with only the slow linesclosed.

The scale of the works planned meant thatit will be imprudent to attempt everything inthe Christmas 2012 closure, and the stagesbetween stage 0 and stage 6 have beendeveloped to advance as much work aspossible into earlier pre agreed possessionopportunities, thus minimising the effect onthe operational railway. This included theChristmas 2011 works.

Towards 20122012 will contain a number of stages of

work that will primarily focus on changes totrack layouts in areas either away from theWCML or where these can be achieved with

minimal effect on day-to-day operations.These will use the planned possessions atEaster and over the May bank holiday. Theformer will entail the renewal of BletchleyEast junction, while the later possession willsee the renewal of further S&C in the mainrunning lines.

In parallel with these staged works, thetrack drainage system in the area is beingextensively upgraded with the installation of3,600m of new drainage, as it is essentialwhen laying new track to ensure it is welldrained.

The work at Bletchley station to extendplatforms 4 & 5 will enable longer trains ofup to 12 carriages. The new signalling designincludes provision of bi-directionalsignalling through platform 5 and anassociated turn-back facility clear of the slowlines, increasing operational flexibility at thestation.

A loop line is to be provided for trains upto 775m long that will facilitate regulation,allow inspection of trains following hot axle-box detector alarms and provide a directroute for freight trains in either directionbetween the slow lines and the flyover.

The early completion of the increased linespeed on the up fast through BletchleySouth (completed January 2010) provided125mph running through Bletchley on bothfast lines.

Network Rail’s project manager, ChrisHurst, emphasised that the Christmas 2012blockade will be the only WCML “disruptive”possession requested by the entire project.He added that, so far the project is on

programme, within budget and has anexcellent safety record. Work to date has hadminimal disruption to the everydayoperation of the railway

Chris says that relations with all the trainoperators have been excellent, particularlywith London Midland, who have been veryco-operative and positive about the scheme.There is a real enthusiasm to see the tiredassets of the area replaced with modernequipment and an improved layout,allowing Network Rail and their customersto provide improved services to travellersand freight customers alike.

The scheme is due to be completed byJune 2013.

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march 2012 | the rail engineer | 15signalling/telecoms


he first railway line in Croatia to beequipped with European Rail Traffic

Management System (ERTMS) / EuropeanTrain Control System (ETCS) technology hascommenced operations in the centralEuropean state. As readers of the railengineer will be aware after several articleson the subject, whilst initially a EuropeanUnion backed initiative to improve cross-border system interoperability, theinternational standards of ERTMS areincreasingly being adopted by trainoperators across the globe to improveefficiency, speeds and safety.

On 19 January 2012, commercial servicescommenced on the 33.5 km section of thePan European Corridor X from Vinkovci toTovarnik, following installation of anINTERFLO 250 ERTMS/ETCS system byBombardier Rail Control Solutions.

INTERFLO 250 is an ERTMS/ETCS Level 1solution for main lines (SIL4). This solutioncomprises all the trackside productsrequired for the route and also includes theAutomatic Train Protection (ATP) as well asthe ATP system on board the train. It iscommonly applied as an overlay to existingnational ATP networks providing higherlevels of safety, but providing an economicalmigration and early experience with ERTMSLevel 1 technology.

Increased line speeds The introduction of the new technology

on the Vinkovci to Tovarnik section enablestrains to operate at speeds of up to 160km/h, from a previous maximum line speedof 120 km/h. The route upgrade forms partof an extensive programme of networkmodernisation being undertaken byCroatian Railways (HZ). In addition tosuffering from lack of investment over asignificant period during the 1990s,coinciding with the outbreak of war in theformer state of Yugoslavia, damage causedas a result of the conflicts also took anexpressly punitive toll on the rail network.

Pan European Corridor X was the tenthcorridor added to a number of major routes -comprising road, rail and waterways - which,whilst requiring investment, had beenidentified as being strategically important tothe transport infrastructure in Central andEastern Europe. The initial 9 routes had beenidentified in a sequence of Pan EuropeanTransport conferences held in Prague in1991 and in Crete in 1994. A thirdconference, held in Helsinki, proposed a newCorridor X to link Salzburg in Austria withThessaloniki in Greece passing throughAustria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedoniaand Greece and with one of four branchesrouting to Istanbul in Turkey.

Once the full corridor has beenimplemented the trade benefits could besignificant for Croatia, facilitatingconsiderably shorter journey times for freighttransport on the East-West corridor andencouraging a modal shift in favour of rail.

The upgrade of this rail route using thelatest ETCS technology from Bombardier willhave the benefits of creating aninteroperable corridor section that will bothcontribute to the development of thenational network in Croatia and enhancetransport links with the rest of Europe.

Within Croatia, the rail corridor fromVinkovci in the east of the country to Zagrebin the west covers approximately 300 km.Croatian Railways and its infrastructure armHZ Infrastruktura d.o.o. placed the contractin 2008 for the upgrade of the 33km sectionto Tovarnik with a consortium comprisingBombardier and SITE S.p.A with SITEresponsible for the installation, powersupply and telecommunications. The doubletrack route incorporates 3 existing stationsand 9 level crossings.

A complex installation Being the first ERTMS Level 1 project in

Croatia, the project presented complexchallenges on various levels as DomenicoFraioli, Project Manager for BombardierTransportation Rail Control Solutionsexplains: “This was the first electronicsignalling system in Croatia and hence thenew technology was unfamiliar to the client.The complexity of the project wascompounded by the fact that we needed todesign a system that could interfacebetween the old level crossings and the newelectronic systems. For cost reasons, thecustomer was keen to retain and modernisethe existing crossings rather than introducecompletely new equipment”.

The project has ensured the introduction ofthe latest generation EBI Lock 950 computer-based interlocking (CBI) system and waysideequipment, and certification of the systemfor operation in Croatia. This milestonefollows the successful delivery of EBI Gatelevel crossing systems for the same line.

Bombardier installed 3 new EBI Gate 2000level crossings (one for each station),developing a special interface for the oldopen line level crossings (EBI Gate 1100) andthe EBI Lock. This enabled the existing levelcrossings to be interoperable with the newgeneration of signalling.

T

ERTMSreachesCroatia

Millions of safe journeysMore than 240,000 EurobalisesOver 2,500 vehicles15,000 km of trackOne standard, one leader

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Interlocking systemsEBI Lock 950 computer-based

interlocking systems supervise and controlwayside objects, including signals, pointmachines and level crossing protectionequipment. The interlocking systemreceives route commands from trafficcontrol centres, or local control systemsand sends indications or status reportsback. The interlocking system checks thatconditions for the commands are fulfilled,locks routes and releases them after thetrain passes. EBI Lock 950 systems comprisean interlocking computer, an on-line backup computer and centrally located ordistributed object controllers. Objectcontrollers provide the interface to thewayside units and are located with theinterlocking computers in racks or cabinetsholding printed circuit boards, powersupplies, connectors and cables.

A BombardierTRAXX F140 MS(multisystem)locomotive, owned byCB Rail, was leased tobe used as theonboard unit for thewayside tests. Whilstconfigured forGermany - Austria -Belgium - Netherlandsroutes, the locomotivehas been used inseveral countries fortesting purposes.

ERTMS solutionsSince the inception of ERTMS,

Bombardier, working closely together withUNIFE, has been a leader in thedevelopment of the specificationsgoverning the system design andoperational characteristics of the ERTMSstandards particularly in areas such asbalise transmission technology. Its ERTMSproduct strategy is based on offering asolution with low life cycle costs to

customers. Solutions can be individuallytailored to customers’ needs, encompassingintegrated control rooms, computer-basedinterlocking systems, onboard equipment,point machines, signals and level crossings,as well as onboard and wayside automatictrain protection (ATP) equipment.

The company’s advanced solutions arenow operating or being delivered on morethan 2,500 vehicles and 15,000 km of trackin 16 countries, including the highest speedERTMS-equipped lines in China. In addition,Bombardier has delivered its ERTMS Level 2solution for the Amsterdam-Utrecht line inthe Netherlands, one of the busiest

mainlines in Europe,as well as Sweden’sfirst high speedERTMS Level 2 line,the Botniabanan, andother lines in Korea,Taiwan and Spain.

As part ofextensive frameworkagreements inSweden and Norway,Bombardier isdelivering furtheronboard andwayside technologyfor ERTMS roll-out,including the world’s

first Regional ERTMSapplication - the INTERFLO 550 solution onthe Västerdalsbanan. Bombardier has alsobeen awarded contracts for the first ERTMSsystems in Algeria, Poland, Brazil andHungary.

As this latest project has demonstrated,the widespread adoption of ERTMS ispaving the way for exciting new railcorridors, contributing to a revitalisation ofthe rail network across Central Europe tothe Balkan states and beyond.

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esktop signal sighting was last coveredin the rail engineer in issue 77 (March

2011). Since then, specialist developer andsupplier Gioconda has continued to developits desktop signal sighting processes and thetools that support them.

Furthermore, a positive advance by theindustry seems to be the acceptance of thistechnology within the signalling designprocess, to the point that projects are nowgenerally planned on this approach from theoutset. This has been a major turning point,and is enabling Gioconda to concentrate onproviding an efficient service rather thanhaving to convince project teams andSignalling Sighting Committee (SSC)members that the tools are valid and costeffective.

The advantages of the desktop approachare reasonably clear:• Site access requirements are reduced;• Safety implications are minimal;• The desktop/classroom SSC meeting is

more efficient and productive;• The sighting of each signal is easily

repeated and options tabled;• In many cases it is less expensive than the

manual method.

Recent reviewAn update to the Signal Sighting Standard

was recently out for review and it appearsthat the desktop approach is to be fullysupported under the revision. However, it isnot currently backed up by any specificationfor accuracy and content of models and thismay lead to “cheap and cheerful” systemsbeing presented for SSC assessment. Therevision further proposes that control ispassed to the SSCs who have the right toveto the use of a model and complete theassessment trackside, although it makes noprovision for training SSC members in theuse and advantages of desktop signalsighting systems.

In addition to desktop signal sighting,Gioconda’s other core service is theprovision of Driver Briefing Packs (DBPs) asrequired by train operators prior to signalcommissioning. For projects to truly benefit

financially they should ensure that anydesktop signal sighting models producedcan be re-used and developed for driverbriefing.

Joined-up modelsThe maximum financial and time benefits

of this process are only realised if a modelwhich is created for signal sighting can becost-effectively turned into a DBP. Forexample, last year an HD (High Definition)video-based signal sighting model wascreated for West Ham resignalling whichincluded 26 signals and some signage. Thecost of this work was in the region of£24,000. Sometime later, a DBP wasproduced taking into account some minoralterations and extra signals. The additionalcost to the project for the DBP was only£7,000 plus the duplication of the DVDs &map books and the turn-around was onlythree weeks. If the desktop signal sightingmodels had not already been produced thenthe driver briefing package alone could wellhave cost £30,000, with no benefit to signalsighting.

Over the past few years, the company hasbeen commissioned by many projects toprovide driver briefing packs which involvedbuilding large and expensive 3D VirtualReality (VR) models and is currently bidding

to supply several large models for driverbriefing-only projects. In these situations, ifprojects had adopted desktop modelling atthe earlier Grip 4 stage for signal sighting,there could have been substantial time andfinancial benefits.

Hopefully, with the continued acceptanceof the desktop signal sighting process, therewill be more re-use of models and thus thetime and cost benefits will naturally beincluded. This is definitely the case withGioconda-based projects but projectmanagers should be aware that choosing touse a desktop signal sighting system that isnon transferrable or ‘locked in’ may not allowthe re-use of this model and they willprobably end up paying twice!

Other offshoots of HD/VR signal sightinginclude:• Enhanced 3D graphics for

presentations/consultations;• Constructability & IDC proofing Grip 5-8;• Volumetric calculations for civils and

earthworks;• Stage-works and 4D modelling;• Training Simulator modelling/model

conversion.

Where required, the output of the abovecan be a small add-on to existing modelscreated from core products.

D


Cost effective Desktop Signal Sighting toDriver Briefing and beyond. A Full Service

Simon Gardinerw r i t e r

Managing Director, Gioconda

London Bridgecompetes withThe Shard.

Unnecessary duplicationOver the past few years, some unnecessary

work regarding the re-use of models hasbeen authorised, either because the projectteam has changed or because projectmanagers are not aware of the availableopportunities for cost saving. For example:

Last year, at least two separate projectshave commissioned duplicate VR models forpromotional purposes - not taking intoconsideration that they already had veryaccurate 3D models which had been usedfor signal sighting.

Project team changes nearly led to newmodels being commissioned for driverbriefing even though signal sighting modelshad been produced.

Projects paid over the odds for DBPs byincluding these into Grip 5-8 designcontracts to suppliers who had tocommission new models when signalsighting models already existed from othersuppliers.

Where possible, Gioconda is doing its bestto keep a finger on the pulse and, through aframework contract with Network Rail,highlight where re-use is possible. Recentproject successes include:• EGIP Electrification - signalling

immunisation exercise completed with theG-RAST toolset culminating with 250signals assessed by SSC in 4 days;

• EGIP Infrastructure - Gioconda HD & VRsignal sighting in progress for severalareas. VR signal sighting models furtherenhanced for public consultations;

• West Ham resignalling - HD signal sighting

and models developed for driver briefingat minimal extra cost;

• London Bridge TKO2 - 230+ signals sightedusing Gioconda HD & VR Modelling;

• Gatwick Station (new Platform 7) - signalsighting completed using Gioconda tools;

• North west Electrification - in progress -Gioconda HD tools utilising Omnicomsurvey video;

• ETN Modular signalling - driver briefingpack delivered based on signal sightingmodels;

• DBPs delivered for Salisbury - Exeter, WaterOrton phase 2 and Cotswold Redoubling;

• Fareham Lifetime Extension - urgent driverbriefing job over Christmas;

• Wolverhampton - signal sighting updates;• Paisley Corridor - Grip 5 signal sighting &

driver briefing delivered;• Wessex Train Lengthening - 100% signals

sighted using G-RAST (3 signals checkedon site with same results).

So desktop signal sighting is now verymuch part of a variety of major and minorprojects. As work continues, more SSCs willbe aware of the benefits, and train operatorswill have access to detailed and realisticdriver training aids.


GIOCONDA

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Gioconda LimitedUnit 10 Woodalls Gravelly Ways Laddingford Kent ME18 6DA Telephone 01622 872512 email [email protected] www.gioconda.co.uk

Sample image from Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvements Programme

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Screenshot fromGioconda’sG-Player software.


roviding rail companies withtelecommunications services is both

complex and controversial. Historically,telecoms engineers were the junior partnersin a combined S&T Engineering department.Investment in telecommunications systemsrode on the back of signalling, electrificationand station modernisation schemes, withthe more enlightened telecoms engineersarranging for these piecemeal projects to bejoined together into regional or nationalnetworks. Only in the 1970s, primarily withthe advent of data systems, didtelecommunications projects gain anindependent ascendency as BR and manyother European Railways created newtelecoms opportunities whichrevolutionised train operation and thegeneral rail business. The resultantequipment asset base was the envy of manyother organisations which were constrainedby the monopolistic powers of the publictelecoms operators.

All this changed when these monopolieswere deregulated, privatised or broken up,with the rail telecoms networks being seenas ready for commercial exploitation. Twoschools of thought emerged, either thattelecommunications was a commodity justlike gas and electricity and all rail needscould be sourced from the likes of BT, or thattelecoms was an integral part of railwayoperations and that problems would soonoccur if the railway lost control of itsnetworks.

Which was right?

PrivatisationIn the UK, and some other countries, an

independent rail infrastructure owner andseveral new train companies were formed,all of whom initially relied on the erstwhilerailway networks for their telecoms facilities.Charging mechanisms were needed toprovide such services on a commercial basis,but these were crude as metering had notbeen a requirement of the previous railorganisation.

Very soon, other telecoms companiessought to enter the fray and were able tooffer more competitive rates for some of thetelecoms requirements, causing adownwards spiral for the business aspirationsof the rail telecommunications departments.What was to be done? In the UK, a newcompany - British Rail Telecoms - was formedwith a twofold objective: firstly, to reorganiseitself to be much more commercial insupplying the rail businesses withtelecommunications, and secondly, to be soldoff to a telecommunications company thatcould exploit the assets by selling capacityand services to a wider customer base.

Despite delays, BRT was eventually sold in1994 to Racal Electronics. The sale consistedprimarily of the voice, transmission and datanetworks but not the operational telecomssystems associated with the direct operationof trains, e.g. SPTs, signalboxcommunications etc, which remained withRailtrack, the infrastructure owner. Withhindsight, Racal did not properly understandwhat they had bought or the responsibilitiesthat went with it.

Eventually, the business was split up andsold again in 2000, the trunk cable,transmission and voice networks going toGlobal Crossing (acquired by Level 3 in 2011)and the rest, including most of the staff, toThomson CSF, a French company nowrenamed Thales. Racal made a substantialprofit from this sell off (perhaps questioningtheir original motivation) and the railindustry was left wondering just how robustthe provision of telecoms services would be.Network Rail, having replaced Railtrack,made the decision to replace the sold offtransmission systems with a new,nationwide fibre network (the FTN - FixedTelecommunications Network) in readinessfor the provision of GSM-R, the future track-to-train radio system that would replace theold BR radio networks. The investment hasbeen considerable, around £1.5 billion, andthese assets must be efficiently utilised tojustify this expenditure.

Network Rail’s positionTime never stands still and Network Rail

itself is reorganising to become moreresponsive to the needs of its train companycustomer. Gone is the centralistic approach,with Territories being created responsible forall work within their area except for the mostmajor projects. This is sensible for mostactivities but does not fit well for telecoms,where the need for reliable nationwidenetworking makes a centralised controlelement rather important. By 2009, NetworkRail had regained most of the techniciansunder a TUPE transfer from Thales. Thecompany is thus resourced to achieve selfsufficiency in design, installation andmaintenance. What is needed is leadership.

Enter Andy Hudson, the new Network Railtelecoms supremo brought in fromInteroute, a European ‘cloud services’

platform company, to work out a vision andstrategy for where the business should begoing. He has had previous involvementwith Hermes Europe Railtel (a pan-Europeantelecoms business engineered aroundrailway fibre networks) and Telfort (the BTjoint venture with Dutch Railways that tookover the railway telecoms network to form anew national telecommunications serviceprovider and mobile operator), so therailway scene is not entirely new to him.

Network Rail TelecomsIn a discussion with the rail engineer,

Andy revealed that he has quickly graspedwhat is required and first fruits haveresulted in the creation of a new company -Network Rail Telecoms (NRT). It is clear thatthis is a very different company to BRT withits main focus being to emerge as a firstclass telecommunications provider to therail industry.

As a priority, the FTN has to be completedand made robust. Designed to be resilient, itnonetheless has elements of its installationin the more rural areas below the standardone would normally expect. Andy is keen toensure that the assets of Network Rail are fitfor purpose and future proof, so somereinstallation might become necessary.Designed as a series of resilient rings withtraffic being rerouted if a ring is cut ordevelops a fault, this can lead to a situationwhere the staff treat the problem as non-urgent until a second fault occurs, whichthen causes a major crisis.

Therefore the reliability and availability ofthe total network must be guaranteed to beas close to 100% as possible. To achieve thismeans having carrier-class networkmanagement centres that operate aroundthe clock to monitor all events and useremote diagnostics and reconfigurationshould things begin to go wrong. Whenphysical work has to be done onsite, thenstaff must be mobilised immediately underthe control and guidance of the NOC(National Operations Centre). Waiting untilthe next morning because the missioncritical traffic has been re-routed will notallow for industry service levels andavailability to be met.

The ongoing menace of cable theft is aparticular problem - even if fibre-opticcables are near worthless to the thieves; thedamage can and does occur at any time.NRT and British Transport Police have set up

P

TodayTelecommunicatingAndy Hudson,heading upNetwork RailTelecoms.

Clive Kessellw r i t e r


a working group to combat and reduce suchincidents, thus relying less on the networkprotection switching.

Providing the wider Network Railorganisation with telecoms facilities will bethe testing ground. Much of it alreadyhappens, but the satisfaction of the ‘internal’customer is crucial. Forming and aligningthe telecoms teams into a structured NRTorganisation has commenced, the aim beingthat everyone shares the same vision ofaccountability and success. The FTN hasbeen designed to be a carrier network forGSM-R, which will also facilitate thedistribution of data for the control of remotesignalling interlockings and electrificationSCADA systems. These are safety-relatedapplications, and failure of the distributingnetwork will result in train service disruption.As such, the FTN has had to pass a safetycase, an important step in gainingconfidence for usage by other engineeringgroups within Network Rail.

A charging regime has to exist for even theinternal customer and, at present, there islittle option other than to do this on anasset-based register. The NRT vision extends,however, to re-engaging with the TOCs,FOCs and other business / engineeringcompanies wholly associated with therailway. To prise these groups away frompublic telecommunications operatorprovision and back to NRT will require moresophisticated means of measuring usageand service level. This will requireinvestment in ‘metering’ systems but thesemay become easier to provide since, withmodern replacement equipment, meteringcomes as part of the Operating and BusinessSupport Systems (OSS and BSS) .

Operational telecomsAndy Hudson shows pragmatism on the

question of how to manage and maintainthe myriad of lineside SPTs, level crossingphones and other telecoms equipmentscattered around the railway. For NRT to takeon this portfolio would require many moretechnicians, all of whom would need to besafety certified for trackside work. Themajority of operational telecomsresponsibility will therefore remain with thenew Network Rail Territory Managers whowill continue to use signal technicians forfirst line maintenance of trackside phonesthus achieving economies of scale.

The vision, however, does not end there.The emergence of GSM-R and theincreasing sophistication and integration oftelecommunications for the new NetworkRail Signalling Centres should logically leadto NRT being the design authority andequipment provider for such systems. All ofthis will require close co-operation and trustbetween NRT and the Territory Managersand Andy is already forging the necessarylinks. Having demanding but realisticservice level agreements (SLAs) in place willbe key, and these are now beingnegotiated. Included within the SLAs will beTerritory based maintenance services tosupport the FTN infrastructure, requiringmaintenance staff to have the skills, toolsand techniques commensurate with thetechnologies and customer / industryexpectations.

The provision of customer informationsystems, indicators, public address, clocksand the data that drives them, hastraditionally been a telecoms responsibilityand NRT will assume this role for theNetwork Rail managed stations. NRThowever does not have responsibility forStation Information Support Services (SISS)across the wider railway but would like tooffer its services to the TOCs, perhaps alsoincluding other value-added telecomsproducts. The Regulator is intent on makingthe management of SISS a TOCresponsibility upon franchise renewal andNRT’s positioning in this will require carefulthought.

Future challengesThe general-purpose railway telephone

network, ETD (Extension Trunk Dialling),including the important 999 emergency and17x electrification control access services,remains the contractual responsibility ofLevel 3 to provide. There is no immediateneed to change this arrangement, but NRTwill be exploring the long term needs of thisservice and considering whether anythingmore modern will be required for voicestrategy and network capabilities to gainefficiency and reduce operational cost.

The FTN was designed to use SDH(Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) as thetransmission medium. This remains a validtechnology but is already declining in favourof IP (Internet Protocol) networking (see therail engineer issue 59, September 2009). TheScottish Territory of Network Rail is perhapspaving the way by providing an IP networkto support the Paisley LLPA (Long Line PublicAddress) system which is now beingexpanded to the whole of Scotland with awhole host of other usages (see the railengineer issue 72, October 2010). NRT is wellaware of this initiative and may well use it asthe beginning of a nationwide strategy foran IP based DWDM (Dense Wave DivisionMultiplexing) MPLS (Multi Protocol LabelSwitching) network to give unifiedconnectivity capability allowing a ‘plug andplay’ delivery model.

The growing demand for improvedcommunication for passenger usage onstations and trains, both broadband andvoice, will indeed be something in whichNRT would wish to be involved. Inconjunction with the ORR and DfT, NRT is

currently looking at technology andpartnerships to ensure that both assetutilisation and services are aligned withregulation. Providing WiFi and WiMAX accesson stations is a logical expansion of service,and product development is underway inline with access technology and customerdemand. The need to provide bettercommunications to trackside staff isrecognised. In parallel with the ORBIS(Offering Rail Better Information Service)initiative, the delivery programme for theAsset Information Service (AIS) is aimed atgiving improved “on demand” asset data andstimulating an improved culture in the useand update of asset records.

Exploiting the network will always be aconsideration as NRT matures and developsits capabilities as a customer-focussedservice provider. Whilst bandwidth is nowcheap, there are market sectors that canmake good use of any NRT bandwidth /capacity in a commercial arrangement. SinceFTN was effectively funded from the publicpurse and is routed to many of the remoterparts of the UK, the opportunity to providebroadband services to such places is beinginvestigated as a joint initiative with thegovernment-led Broadband UK scheme.

Above all, NRT is there to focus on therailway. No-one should remain with theillusion that telecommunications is a bolt onextra. It is fundamental to the operation oftrains in all the guises embraced by that. NRTlooks set fair to be the company of choice forall rail telecommunications requirements.


Grahame Taylorw r i t e r

Levellingon crossingso, I can’t sleep at night! I think of levelcrossings and level crossing safety all

the time as we have so much to do, so muchto change.”

Martin Gallagher is Network Rail’s head oflevel crossings. With a background in safety hedeals with policy and strategy, assurance andnational programmes for level crossings. Andthere are about 6,500 of them which mightaccount for some of his temporary insomnia.

He has taken time to talk with the railengineer to explain how Network Rail nowmanages what continues to be a veryemotive subject.

Close the lot!So, where does he start? With a list. Then all

the level crossings are ranked in what isconsidered to be risk order. The risk factorsinclude obvious things like the speed oftrains which impacts on recognition anddecision times, the number of people usingthe crossing and the number of lines to becrossed. There can be local environmentalissues such as a nearby school or pub. Allof these, and many other sensitivities, areused to develop a sensible risk profile foreach crossing.

So, why not close the lot and make all theproblems go away? Well, the railways can’tjust shut a level crossing. The majority of thenetwork’s crossings have public rather thanprivate rights of way associated with themand to close them needs planning and localauthority approval to extinguish or divert aright of way. It is not within Network Rail’sgift to actually close a public level crossing.

Common misconceptionLevel crossings have been closed ever

since they were invented, so what is the rateof closure nowadays? Martin is on homeground now, “We’ve increased the rate manyfold. Back in 2008, I think we were closingcrossings at a rate of about 20 a yearnationally. Now we’re closing 200 a year.”

These have been mostly private, user-worked crossings because they’re easier toclose than those with public rights of way.

The rights to the crossing are owned byprivate individuals or companies and it’swithin their gift whether they release therights to those crossings or not. There are2,500 of this type of crossing and it is acommon misconception that they all carry alow risk. The Sewage Works Lane accidenton the Sudbury Branch in 2010 was a user-worked crossing. They present aconsiderable amount of danger, and closingthem obviously eliminates any risk and alsoreduces operational costs.

The release of rights is fairly easy toachieve. There are situations wherelandowners have four or five user-workedcrossings and Network Rail can enter intonegotiations to suggest that use can beconsolidated to just one or two.

“In the past a lot of things were done fromthe office, desktop studies and the like, butnow we’ve got groups of staff basedthroughout the country who are experts innegotiating

closures. We’ve closed over 500 since 2009and we’re overlaying that with more publicroad crossings - but of course these are morecontentious. Surprisingly, perhaps, it is notunusual for there to be a split in thecommunity. Half love their crossing, theother half are quite happy for it to go.”

Obligations under Safety LawWhilst there are benefits, there are, of

course, associated costs. The balance of costversus benefit can be extraordinarilydifficult. After a long pause, Martin sighs andadds, “We’ve taken a decision internally that,as far as our obligations under Health &Safety Law is concerned, saying things don’tstack up financially is not always defendable.What we should be doing is makingdecisions based on expert judgement -based on whether it’s the right thing to dobalanced against the cost benefit.”

N

Shiplake, Berkshire(2006).


Martin cited the case of open level crossingsin Scotland. These crossings don’t havebarriers - just a wigwag and a flashing light.Network Rail has begun a programme ofenhancing these crossings by overlayingthem with a half barrier. This is a short termsolution which has no real business case, butit’s an area that has been heavily scrutinisedbecause open level crossings make upsomething like 2% of the total crossingpopulation but account for 30% of accidents.The conclusion by many is that the crossingsare unsafe and so they need barriers - a classiccase of “something has to be done”. Butanalysis in conjunction with the BritishTransport Police reveals that most of thepeople who have been prosecuted forviolations lived within 12 miles of the crossing.

Drivers performing their own cost benefitanalysis perhaps?

InnovationMartin admits that some of the damage

from criticism is self-inflicted. Level crossingtechnology has to catch up with currentdevelopments. And there is a need tochange the ways in which the railwaysintroduce innovation. Traditionally it’s beenclunky, slow and overly bureaucratic.

“I can understand why we need safetyvalidations, why we need rigorous resilienceand testing programmes, but consider thisexample: a set of miniature warning lightscosts £¼ million. We have a problem at anumber of rural crossings that could be

mitigated by a set ofminiature warning lights which themselveshave a safety integrity level of 99.99995%. Ithink that’s the right number of nines....

“But there is no business case to spend £¼million at every rural crossing, so nothinghappens. Then someone comes up with asafety enhancement that’s a different type oftechnology but that has a safety integritylevel of 99.95% - slightly fewer nines. It costsjust £15,000 to install in a day, but therailway shuns it. The Rail Regulator has beenreally supportive and has the view that ifsomething enhances safety, then it shouldbe introduced. It may not be as good as thegold-plated version but if it’s better thanwhat you had previously then go ahead.”

“In fact we have developed somethingthat is GPS based to track train position. Itwas designed initially for trains on the

Sudbury line and it’s on trial at themoment. It gives train location informationto the signaller in Liverpool Street IECC, sohopefully the problem of signallers andusers not knowing the accurate position ofthe train in long signal sections should be athing of the past. Shortly the crossing usertoo will be able to see this information on ascreen at the crossing. It is a really goodsystem, installed in a day, at a fraction ofthe cost of a set of miniature warninglights.”

STRAIL (UK) Ltd. / Richard Whatley / Tannery Lane / Send / Woking / GU23 7EF / Great Britainphone +44 (14 83) 22 20 90 / fax +44 (14 83) 22 20 95 / [email protected]

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STRAIL, the crossing with tongue and groove interlocked panels AND steel tie rods from end to end. Panels cannot escape!

Secure, interlocking rubber level crossings

The TAWSMapping Displayallows managers

to view evengreater train

position detailwhen required.

(Bottom) The TAWSTrain Module is a

transpondercapable ofaccurately

reporting thetrain’s position.

Overseas experienceThere is much to learn from overseas

experience. Martin’s team has spent a lot oftime in dialogue with contacts across theworld looking at some of the things they do.A good example is Israel, where theyimproved safety hugely by taking some verylow-cost pragmatic steps. They’vedeveloped luminous paint that’s equallyvisible by day or night and they paint theapproaches to their crossings with adistinctive blue colour.

They’ve put a lot of cameras in at theircrossings as well as obstacle detectionsystems. Japan has been using obstacledetection systems for years, as has Germanyand many other countries. Other low-costmeasures are available, such as rumble stripsand measures that slow vehicles down on theapproaches. But in this country this needslocal authority cooperation or draft approval.

Many European countries have takenpolicy decisions which state that they willnot have crossings on anything wider thandouble track or with line speeds >120 km/h.If you go to Norway you won’t find any levelcrossings on high speed lines. Portugal hasgone through a similar process. In thiscountry a lot of funding would be requiredfor such a policy decision.

Changing people’s perceptionsPublic opinion is often informed by

professional commentators. Martin assertsthat, “The way that we need to changepeople’s perceptions around level crossingsafety is by demonstrating to thesecommentators that things have changed,and things are changing, through delivery;through all the promises we’ve made, theinvestments, the improvements to assetcondition and to risk management. If theiropinions can be changed then this mayaffect the commentary that they give to thepublic on the way that Network Rail isdealing with level crossing safety.

“After a fatality at a crossing there are oftenremarks like ‘an accident waiting to happen...;they’ve had so many warnings....; hardlysurprising...’

“Hopefully the slant may change to anacceptance that we’re never able tocompletely eliminate accidents, but there havebeen massive efforts to improve the way thisrisk is managed. So far as some of the localauthorities and local politicians are concerned,there’s a huge amount of lobbying to be doneon safety responsibilities around levelcrossings. The perception in general is thatlevel crossing safety is a rail-only responsibility.”

Risk-qualifiedMartin has a team of 20 specialists based

at Network Rail’s National Headquartersworking on forty different projects toimprove safety. Half of these projects arearound safety enhancements, with some bigcapital investment schemes looking atintroducing enforcement cameras atcrossings, and also asset conditionmonitoring cameras. These would allow real-time monitoring of rural crossings, checkingsighting, and detecting whether gates areleft open. “Camera technology is great thesedays and these projects will change the waywe manage crossings on the ground.”

At the moment, assessment and inspectionprocesses are fragmented - they’re not carriedout by the same person. A mobile operationsmanager goes out to collect data on usagethen a risk coordinator enters thatinformation into the national database andcomes up with a score that shows whichoptions are available to improvesafety. An asset inspector from Off-track goes out and inspects thecrossing. A recurring theme inaccident investigations has been acriticism of the quality ofassessment, the quality ofinspection, and thefragmentation ofcommunication. Martin’s aim isto create dedicated levelcrossing managers who wouldbe responsible for all thoseactivities.

They’ll beprofessionally trained and would be risk-qualified. “I don’t imagine the oil or nuclearindustries allow anyone to risk assess asafety critical asset who isn’t professionallyqualified.”

Firm commitment“Nobody would be able to claim that they

are content with level crossings at themoment, but I am content with the plans wehave in place and in our progress.

“The Board has set us some really goodchallenges and supported us. We have beengiven £100 million, which is a lot of moneyin these austere times. They’ve given a firmcommitment that they want level crossingsafety to improve. I couldn’t ask for moresupport than that.

“At the moment it’s still work in progress,but perhaps, reasonably soon, I will be ableto sleep better at night.”


Stallingborough,Lincolnshire.(Right) Test trainapproaching MCBCCTV crossing atFrinton-on-Sea in2009.

Cosworth, nearNewquay in 2004.(Below) Cosham,Hampshire.


about rubberAsking

ith level crossings, and level crossingsafety, very much in the public eye,

the rail engineer met with Richard Whatley,Managing Director of STRAIL (UK) Limited, toask about the advantage of rubber crossingsurfaces.TRE:

What made you interested in rubber levelcrossings in the first place?RW:

Speaking honestly, it was my father. Hebecame involved over 25 years ago, and, ifyou think about it, rubber is an idealmaterial. It absorbs noise and vibration, itisolates the track from the hammering ofheavy traffic, and so it protects trackgeometry and it makes for a quiet crossing.

TRE:We understand that STRAIL crossings are

“green” and that recycled rubber is involved.RW:

That’s right. The German company whichmakes the crossings is part of a large groupspecialising in rubber. Re-treading tyres is one of itsmany activities. Theprocess involves stripping

off the worn treads and vulcanising freshtreads in their place. A great deal of rubber isleft over and the company, already expertsin the vulcanising field, decided to turn itinto level crossings.

TRE:We believe that vulcanising is more

expensive than gluing with modernelastomeric adhesives. Why do you do it?RW:

If you apply sufficient heat and pressure toa mass of rubber granules they will melt intoeach other to become a homogeneousmass. This is called vulcanising, and it is theway in which vehicle tyres are made. Thefinished level crossings have the sameproperties of strength, flexibility andendurance, properties second to none. Yes,the tooling is expensive, involving massiveheated and pressurised steel moulds, but webelieve that the quality of the finishedproduct justifies the expense.

TRE:Would you like to say a word about safety?

RW:There are three obvious safety hazards in

the composition of the crossingsthemselves: loose panels, skidding andflangeway grooves.

Virtually all level crossings are made up ofindividual panels. A loose panel is a potentialhazard. Therefore STRAIL panels are shapedto inter-lock with each other and under thehead of each rail. Furthermore, high tensilesteel tie rods run through the panels fromend to end making it virtually impossible fora panel to break loose.

Mineral grit is embedded in the surface ofeach panel during the vulcanising process toguard against skidding.

Another hazard is presented by theflangeway groove beside each rail,particularly to cyclists. Strail have developeda replaceable honeycomb element to fill thisgroove. It is sufficiently strong to support acycle, but it deforms under a tram wheel.

TRE:No two level crossing sites are identical. Do

you make a new design for every site?RW:

Yes. We visit and survey every site,recommending the crossing type, quantitiesetc. Furthermore we have complete recordsof all the one thousand or so crossingswhich we have supplied.

TRE:You mentioned crossing type. Do you have

a large range?RW:

Yes. They range from pedeSTRAIL,designed for pedestrians, through standardSTRAIL, innoSTRAIL for lesser used crossings,pontiSTRAIL for very heavy traffic andveloSTRAIL for cyclists. Variations withineach range are considerable and ourengineers will recommend the right modelfor each application.

TRE:How about experience elsewhere?

RW:STRAIL claim to have made the first rubber

level crossing. India was the fiftieth countryto start using them and STRAIL havesupplied about 40,000 world wide.

W

w www.strail.de

28 | the rail engineer | march 2012 feature

PARIS METRO LINE 1


he first line of the extensive Paris Metronetwork, now owned and operated by

RATP, was opened on 19 July 1900. Runningfrom Porte de Vincennes to Porte Maillot, theline was equipped with 3-car trains whichhad a driving cab at one end only. Semi-circular loops at the terminal stationsenabled the trains to be turned.Subsequently, the line has been extended toLa Defense in the west and Chateau deVincennes in the east, making a total of 25stations with platforms lengthened to take 6cars. Passenger loadings were initially quitelow but nowadays the line carries 750,000passengers per day making it the mostcrowded line on the network.

The line was built on the cut and coverprinciple but at Bastille, where it had to crossthe Port de Paris Arsenal water channel,tunnelling techniques could not be trustedso a low level bridge was built. Thisnecessitated steep gradients and very sharpcurves which have been a challenge eversince. Running on the north bank of theSeine, the line is always busy; weekdays withpeople going to work and on business,evenings for theatre and opera goers,weekends with museum, shopping andtourist traffic.

Line 14 and a Modernisation Template In 2000, RATP took the decision to

modernise the complete Metro network.Most lines had infrastructure and trains thatwere 30-40 years old. So began ProjectOURAGAN (Hurricane in English) and tounderstand what this was all about, the rail

engineer spoke with Gérald Churchill, theproject manager for Line 1 and ArianeRamboër, the RATP press officer. Gérald hadpreviously been the manager for Line 14(the Metéor), newly opened in 1998 as thefirst example of UTO.

Definitions may be needed here: ATO =Automatic Train Operation, retaining a‘driver’ in the front cab; STO = Semiautomated Train Operation, which undernew European standards is the reviseddefinition for ATO; DTO = Driverless TrainOperation, with no driver but retaining amember of staff on the train as in DocklandsLight Railway; UTO = Unattended TrainOperation, with no member of staff onboard, similar to common practice onairport shuttles.

Line 14 had been built with UTO in mind sothe infrastructure was commensurate with therequirements. The line initially carried 140,000passengers per day but this has risen to

500,000. In 2002, a paper was presented to theRATP Board showing that UTO was workableand that it should be considered forapplication to an existing line. No-one hadtried such a conversion before, but a feasibilitystudy in 2003 showed that it was technicallypossible, would generate additional capacityand be economically viable.

Line 1 was an obvious choice because ofthe severe overcrowding. RATP engineerswere entrusted with the production of aspecification and the subsequent projectmanagement with Board approval beinggiven in April 2004. A condition set by theParis Highways Authority was that traintraffic must not be interrupted by theimplementation works. The project was splitinto 5 main elements:• Replacement of the Rolling Stock;• Replacing the old STO signalling with a

new UTO and the provision of PlatformScreen Doors;

T(Right) Paris MetroLine 1 ControlRoom.

A New Beginning

march 2012 | the rail engineer | 29feature

PARIS METRO LINE 1

• Civil works to adapt the platforms forscreen doors;

• New telecom systems in line with UTOrequirements;

• Social negotiations to change theconditions of working.

All of these had their challenges, but theplatform works and changed conditions ofworking were the hardest to achieve.

UTO RequirementsHaving no member of staff on a train

carries a new set of risks, all of which have tobe carefully considered and mitigated. Theremust be constant supervision of thepassengers en route from boarding todisembarking with the ability to dealremotely with any incident that might arise.The basics are:• UTO of trains with guaranteed stopping

position at stations;• Train cars to be without bulkheads such

that an end to end ‘hollow tube’ results;• Platform screen doors to ensure safe entry

and exit from trains;• Automatic opening of doors at stations once

the train is stopped with timed closure ofdoors depending on the known passengernumbers at any particular station;

• CCTV coverage of every car, each camerabeing linked by radio to the control roomand all pictures recorded for possiblepolice evidence purposes;

• A panic alarm in each car, which whenoperated automatically brings up theCCTV picture of the car;

• Public address from control to train at anytime during the journey;

• Continued movement of the train to thenext station if the alarm is activated unlessthe train is already stopped;

• Easy means of getting staff to the train if afailure occurs.All the technical elements of these had

been tested on Line 14. However, it was onething installing them on a brand new line,quite another thing applying themretrospectively to an existing one.

Line 1 employed around 250 drivers and,under UTO, they would not be needed.Many drivers were well qualified, oftenbeing recruited at graduate level, and RATPwas anxious not to use this skill base.Negotiations with the trade unionscommenced in 2007 and proceeded on aconstructive basis on the presumption that

the interests of the company took priority.Various options emerged, the three mainones being:• Redeploy drivers to another line;• Keep them on Line 1 until full

implementation and then retire them -aimed at the older staff;

• Retrain them for a more senior job on Line1 such as executives in the OperationControl Centre (OCC) or on stations.

Another short term option has been tocreate ‘rolling’ teams, positioned every 4-5stations, to be available to recover or assisttrains that encounter a problem, eithertechnical or passenger related. It took timebut the negotiations were eventuallysuccessful and a formula for the future hasbeen established.

Design and ConstructionFundamental to success was a new, yet

proven UTO system. This was competitivelytendered with 5 firms invited, all of whomhad a system that was in use elsewhere. Thecontract was awarded to Siemens France -the former Matra Transport companyacquired by Siemens in the 1990s. As such, itis a French system. The new system ismoving block but operated as a virtual blockso that sections remain discrete eventhough they can be shortened if traffic andspeed conditions dictate. The contractrequired that the new signallinginfrastructure had to be superimposed overthe old, such that both technologies couldbe controlled from the new OperationsControl Centre. This is similar to methodsemployed on London’s Victoria line.

Equipping an old type MP89 train with thenew control equipment enabled testrunning at night to prove that both old andnew systems could operate safely together.

The new trains of type MP05 are beingsupplied by Alstom from their Valenciennesplant. There are two separate contracts, oneto build the trains including all the powerequipment and passenger facilities, theother to equip the trains with the VPPI (videoprotection and passenger information)system. Several sub-contracts were neededfor the supply of component parts. The firsttrain was delivered in mid 2008, ready forinitial testing at the Valenciennes test track.The second train was delivered to Paris inMay 2009 for certification testing and themain production run started in October2009. Whilst Alstom built the trains, the UTOpackage was supplied by Siemens, includingthe train borne equipment. As is often thecase, this split responsibility caused a fewproblems along the way. Gérald remindedme of the English expression, ‘the devil is inthe detail’, although with this project ‘thedevil is in the interface’!

(Middle) Raisingthe Platform Level.(Bottom) Installingthe platformscreen doors.


CommunicationsRadio is the fundamental transmission

media, with three separate systems in use:• Free space propagation using tunnel

mounted aerials in the 5.6GHz band forthe UTO system;

• WiFi for the video transmission from eachcar to the OCC;

• Tetra for the voice systems for staff andpassengers communication to the OCC.

Each of the new trains has to be equippedwith three aerial systems.

Platform Screen DoorsThe UTO and telecom systems had all been

tried out on Line 14 so applying newversions of the equipment to Line 1 was nottoo much of a problem. Installing platformscreen doors to a working railway was a verydifferent scenario, however, and this turnedout to be the biggest challenge. Theplatforms were found to need reinforcingand increased height. To do this was not aquick process. A joint contract was let toSogea TPI and Eiffage TP. The concreting wasdone at night but the station then had to beclosed for the concrete to cure. This causedsome disruption but, with stations closetogether, it was considered acceptable forpassengers to use adjacent ones.

Once the foundation work was finished,the screen doors were installed at the rate of3 per night, this work being contracted tothe Swiss company, Gilgen Door Systems. Ittook between 10 and 14 days to install acomplete station, Bastille being the worstbecause of the sharp curves and slants at

each end of the platforms. The problems didnot end there; with the doors fitted, the oldMP89 trains then had to be fitted withantennae to activate the doors and, with theold STO system not having the sameaccuracy as the new one, would the trainsstop in the right space envelope? RATPmade visits to London to see how this wasmanaged on the Jubilee Line with manualdriving and were reassured that a margin oferror could be accommodated. This hasproved acceptable and an error rate of 1 in10,000 has been achieved.

Work Completion andImplementation

By May 2011, all infrastructure work wascompleted. 13,000 work sites had beenneeded with up to 100 sites at any onetime; in all that period, no major safetyincident had occurred. The testing couldnow begin starting at night and then in thedaytime from July, by progressivelyrunning new trains in automatic servicemode but empty of passengers in betweenthe old trains. This was part of the safetycertification process involving Certifer, aFrench railway certification agency.

Main approval came in September 2011,with final signoff being achieved inNovember. Eight trains then went intopassenger service interspersed with theold trains. This number is gradually beingincreased as trains are delivered and, at thetime of writing, about 20 are in traffic. Itwill take until Jan 2013 before all newtrains are in service. Some technical hitcheswere encountered once passenger usage

started, mainly involving the on-trainsystems, which took only about 2 weeks toresolve.

Door closure times at known busystations are set at 50 seconds, elsewhere itis 40. Station dwell times can be remotelychanged from the OCC. A critical test cameon 9 Jan 2012 when an incident on RERline A caused a shutdown for a period, withmany travellers transferring to Line 1. Everypossible train was pressed into service andone million passengers were transportedin the day. The current headway using amixed fleet is 105 seconds but this willimprove to 85 once the new trains are fullydeployed. Signals will remain in place formanual driving in degraded modeoperation. Currently a UTO train will notpass a red signal under the ‘overlay’ rulesbut once all the new trains are in service,the signals will be changed to a blueaspect

The Line 1 upgrade and full automationhas cost €600 million. Of this, €400 millionhas been for the new trains, €150 million forthe UTO and telecom systems, and theremainder for the installation of screendoors. The system will be maintained byRATP staff, with initial training beingundertaken by the supplying companies. Asmall separate OCC exists mainly for trainingpurposes but it can also be used for limitedfunctionality operation if disaster recovery isneeded.

The FutureThe displaced MP89 stock, still only 20+

years old, is being transferred to Line 4,replacing older trains in service. Once Line 1is fully completed, the upgrade of other linesto UTO will be progressed but theprocurement process will have to startagain. Three new lines may also beconstructed to form a Paris Ring - lines Red,Green and Orange - as well as extendingLine 14 north and south. All of these willadopt the same UTO operating philosophy.A 2025 completion date is tentatively putforward but this will depend on theavailability of finance.

Can UTO be employed elsewhere? Yes, ofcourse it can, and Nuremberg andLausanne are two such cities where it is inoperation. Could it happen in London? TheSub Surface Lines are similar inconstruction and operation to the ParisMetro but the deep level tubes would needcareful thought. One senses that thehuman factors situation would be quitechallenging!

Platform Screen Doors (PSD) full- and half-height

Your way to improve:

• Passenger‘s safety and comfort

• System e iciency and capacityff

• Station attractiveness

Beside the benefits of the increased system efficiency and capacity, the options MétroLIGHT and

MétroMEDIA allow the customer to refinance the investment.

All options are in operation and can be shown in Gilgen‘s spectacular exhibition booth MétroCUBE.

Upgrade your stations toBusiness Class

Gilgen Door Systems

The world leader in

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Gilgen Door Systems AG

Marketing & Sales ADP

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www.gilgendoorsystems.com

Paul Insleyw r i t e r

Senior Engineer, Balfour Beatty Rail

pproximately ten years ago, ChannelTunnel Rail Link (CTRL), on behalf of the

Thameslink Programme, constructed twobored tunnels between the East Coast MainLine (ECML) at Belle Isle junction, just Northof Kings Cross, and the St Pancras low levelstation. Each tunnel was constructed with asix metre diameter bore, about 500 metreslong and pre-cast lined, and they form partof a new twin track railway approximately900 metres long, the remainder being cutand cover boxes and open sections. The two tunnels pass under the RegentsCanal and have subsequently been calledCanal Tunnels. At each end of the CanalTunnels are double junctions. The junctionat Belle Isle will be conventional ballastedtrackform whilst at the St Pancras Low Levelstation end the junction is on a concretetrack slab with resiliently mounted supports.

No services such as track work, lighting,power and emergency walkways wereconstructed as part of the original tunnelconstruction and, until 2006/2007, NetworkRail had not obtained planning permission,legal powers and funding for the Key Output2 works, of which this forms part.

Scheme Plan The Thameslink Canal Tunnels are part of a

scheme to enable Thameslink services fromPeterborough and King’s Lynn to travelsouth of the Thames and return. The CanalTunnels project is a vital component of theoverall Thameslink programme. It will deliverthe infrastructure required to run up to 24trains per hour per direction in the core area(between Blackfriars Junction to the southand Kentish Town to the north), permitlonger 12 car trains to operate and allowmore destinations to be served byThameslink services.

As part of the advanced staging works,Balfour Beatty Rail was asked to install twoNR60 D 13.5 slab track turnouts, designed toreduce vibration in nearby buildings at thenorthern end of the platforms. This schemeis known as Canal Tunnels Junction. Theexisting Up and Down Moorgate plain linetracks had previously been fitted withVanguard baseplated slab track mounted onapproximately 10-metre-long reinforcedconcrete slabs. Six of these slabs were to beremoved on each line to allow theinstallation of the two new turnouts. All of

this had to be done without any speed oroperational disruption to the existingThameslink services.

Design and PlanningBalfour Beatty Rail had to design and plan

the job very carefully. Not only did they haveto maintain Thameslink services, but thenew track would have to meet stringentground borne-vibration requirements dueto the projects’ proximity to existing andnew residential building developments. Thisrequirement resulted in the design team, inpartnership with Network Rail, selecting theSonneville Low Vibration Track (LVT) systemfrom Swiss manufacturer, Vigier. This systemis a duo block slab track system with arubber boot and block pad and has beenused extensively in tunnels worldwide.

The main works were planned to takeplace in four key 53-hour possessions,backed up with a small number of limitedmid week 3.5 hour working windows. At theend of each key possession, the track had tobe handed back in complete working orderand with no temporary speed restrictions. Inaddition, as the work was adjacent to theplatforms at St Pancras, dust and noise wereissues and as the site is underground, accessand logistics were critical.

The original 10-metre long reinforcedconcrete slabs were at least half a metredeep and had been in service for a numberof years, so careful structural design andsystem interaction was required. The firstoption considered was to reuse the existingslabs as part of the design, using directlymounted baseplates, but this was notdeemed acceptable for this project.

Complete removal and re-cast wasconsidered, but to remove them entirelywould have required the use of concretebreakers. Previous experience of similarworks at Thameslink Clerkenwell suggestedthat this would not be practical given thetime constraints and that a significantamount of manual breaking out would alsobe anticipated with the associated exposureof staff to hand-arm vibration, noise anddust.

A

Track work in place.Now it just needsthe switches.

Canal TunnelsThameslink’s


Working in partnership with consultantsHeierli Consulting Engineers, a plan wasdeveloped to slice the concrete slabs in halfand lift off the top half to allow a newsurface to be recast. A number of methodsof removal were considered as part of therisk assessed design. Using disc-saws wasnot seen as practical while implementingbreaking equipment was too timeconsuming and would have createdunacceptable amounts of dust and debris.

Diamond wire cutting was identified as thebest way to cut through the track slabsentirely. This was supported with associatedsecuring works to hold the track in placeafter each cut. Selecting this design meantthat the risks of exposure to dust, hand armvibration and noise would be minimal and itwould also allow work to carry on in mid-week nights and weekends, with the trackhanded back for operations every day withno requirement for speed restrictions.

Intensive ProgrammeDiamond wire cutting is a specialist

activity requiring few personnel but acontrolled environment. It offers speed andsignificant noise and dust reductions overother methods. A cooling / lubricating watersupply is needed, and exclusion zones haveto be enforced during the cutting operation.It is also a system that could beimplemented in mid-week nightpossessions, leaving free time in the key 53hour possessions to focus on heavyengineering works.

During the key possessions, the pre-cutslabs were lifted clear, and replaced with aone-piece slab that covered the footprint ofthe whole turnout. The straight through trackof the Switches and Crossings (S&C) wasreplaced by plain line fitted on adaptorbaseplates so that railway operations couldcontinue. The plain line trackwork and S&Ctrack slab was designed and installed in amanner which left the infrastructure in aposition that will facilitate a method of speedy

installation for the switches, crossing andpoints system without greatly impeding theThameslink services in any way at a later date.

The design and construction methodologyused allowed the advanced programmeconstruction works to be undertaken safelyin a short number of key weekendpossessions whilst meeting the stringentenvironmental design constraints ofworking in tunnels on one of London’sbusiest commuter railway lines.

www.vigier-rail.ch

LOW VIBRATIONTRACK (LVT)

THE SLAB TRACK SOLUTION FOR THE REQUIREMENTS OF TOMORROW

VigierRail_Inserat_LVT_e_190x130.indd 1 10.02.12 15:35

Lifting out atrack slab.



w r i t e rMungo Stacy

oal is why railways exist. It drove theinitial need for mass transport, fuelled

the steam engines and powered theindustrial revolution. Even into the 21stcentury, coal haulage for electricitygeneration remained the largest railfreightstream, typically accounting for 30% offreight moved by rail in Great Britain.

Last year marked a significant change. Theofficial National Rail Trends recorded that2010/11 was the first year that coal lost itslargest market share. Coal is not king. Thecrown has passed to Intermodal - morefamiliarly known as containers.

Is this another sign of the decline of heavyindustry, of our transformation into a leisure-loving nation dependent on imports? Or is ita temporary blip reflecting volatile energyprices? The growth in container traffic is astrong trend with year-on-year growth of 7%for the last 8 years, a total increase of 70%since 2002-03.

Accommodating this growth is one of thekey aims of the Strategic Freight Network.This core network of trunk freight routes wasestablished following the Government’s2007 White Paper, ‘Delivering a SustainableRailway’.

Significant infrastructure improvementshave already been delivered in the currentControl Period 4 since 2009. Regular readersof the rail engineer will recall articles aboutworks in Southampton tunnel overChristmas 2009 (issue 64, February 2010)and at Winchester in Easter 2010 (issue 68,June 2010). Further developments over thecoming years will dramatically increase theroute options for container traffic.

Anorak timeContainers are pretty similar: they have to

be, for the whole concept to work. Oneobvious difference is colour: the choicegenerally depends on the shipping company’spreference. In physical terms the mainclassification is between short 20’ and long 40’boxes. Beyond that, it could take a dedicatedcontainer-spotter to note any differences (trythemovingcrew.org for starters).

In fact, a range of standard sizes aredefined, by ISO and other standardsorganisations. Containers up to 8’6” height

can be carried on normal wagonsthroughout much of the UK rail network.However, there has been increasing use ofhigh cube 9’6” containers.

These pose a challenge for the railindustry, as the higher top corners causeissues particularly at arched overbridges. It ispossible to fit the high cubes through theexisting infrastructure using specialist lowfloor wagons. However, these generally costmore to build and maintain and reduce thepotential train payload by up to one third -major penalties for railfreight operators incompetition with road hauliers.

Getting high cube containers on standardwagons may require gauge enhancementworks to the infrastructure, but can lead toimpressive productivity increases. The routefrom Southampton to the Midlands illustratesthis. Following opening of the route for highcube containers on 4 April 2011, rail’s marketshare jumped from 30% to 36%.

Thinking freightIan Cleland is Freight Development

Manager with Network Rail. He says, “Freighttends to be the hidden side of railways, butthere’s a great deal going on at the moment.Over the next couple of years we will see thecreation of a diverse strategic network forintermodal traffic and a huge leap forward indiversionary capability. These are essentialfor dealing with contingencies and thegrowing demand for seven-day operation.”

Freight investment has been broughtunder the umbrella of the Strategic FreightNetwork, which is governed by an industry-wide steering group. This includesrepresentation of freight operatingcompanies, industry interest groups, theDepartment for Transport, Network Railand others.

Cleland says, “A sustained long termstrategy is essential to achieve rail freightgrowth. Short bursts of activity will notencourage hauliers to switch mode.”

This vision is provided by the StrategicFreight Network. Based on demandforecasts for 2030, it has nine core objectivesfor the development of the freight network.Gauge enhancement is one; others includeincreased capacity, 24/7 capability and moreefficient operations.

Longer and heavier trains are considered,together with improved terminals andinterchange and protected freight paths.Other aspirations include electrification offreight routes and extension of EuropeanUIC GB+ gauge capability beyond HS1.

The unified approach has been successfulin garnering funding for the sector. TheGovernment’s Control Period 4 settlementincluded £251 million for Strategic FreightNetwork improvements from 2009 to 2014.In addition, £152 million was sourced fromthe Transport Innovation Fund and enableda further £72 million to be leveraged fromother sources.

C

Showingyour gauge(Right) A mixtureof Standard andHigh CubeContainers in thesame train.

Working network“The first priority has been gauge

enhancement. That was the most immediateneed”, says Cleland. “By 2014 we will havegone a long way to delivering high cubecapability on the busiest routes where thereis long term demand. After that, capacity willbe the biggest issue into the next controlperiods”.

The programme has already come a longway. At the start of Control Period 4 in March2009, just a few routes were cleared for highcubes. The larger containers could onlytravel unrestricted on routes from the UK’sbusiest port at Felixstowe to London andPeterborough and on the West Coast routefrom London and the Thames ports to theMidlands, the North West and Mossend yardat Glasgow.

In addition to the Southampton route,April 2011 also saw completion of gaugeclearance work from Felixstowe throughPeterborough to the West Coast route atNuneaton. This corridor provides a secondroute from Felixstowe, offering diversionarycapability and avoiding London.

Other schemes are currently in hand. Siteworks including 16 bridge reconstructionsare due to start in September 2012 on a £34million diversionary scheme forSouthampton via Salisbury to Basingstoke.

On the East Coast, it is ultimately intendedto route high cubes from Doncaster viaLincoln, Peterborough and the HertfordLoop to London. A £9 million contract wasawarded in January 2012 to Balfour Beattyfor 18 overbridge reconstructions on theDoncaster to Peterborough section of the

GN/GE line. There are strong hopes thatclearance of the East Coast route northwardsfrom Doncaster to the Scottish Central beltwill be completed by 2014, althoughplanning is still in progress.

Cross-country links are being progressed,in particular Doncaster to Tamworth / WaterOrton to give a Midlands to Yorkshire route.On 29 November 2011 the Department forTransport announced funding for furthergauge clearance between Leicester andStoke, taking traffic from the North Westaway from the busy West Coast routethrough the Midlands.


Southampton Tunnel.

Port of Southampton

London Gateway

DaventryLawley Street

Ditton

Garston

Doncaster

SelbySelby

Teesport

Selected Locations with Station

Sea Port & Intermodal Rail Freight Terminal

Intermodal Rail Freight Terminal

Rail Network

Network Rail - W10 Loading Gauge

NOTTINGHAM (main city)

Preston

Network Rail

W10 Loading Gauge at

CP4 Start (April 2009)

Proposed W10 Gauge Route

under development - outcome

including date to be determined

Proposed HPUK

Section 106 W10 Works -

outcome including dates to be

determined

W10 Loading Gauge at

April 2011 (additional from April 2009)

Proposed W10 Loading Gauge at

CP4 End (April 2014)

(other)

Elderslie

Grangemouth

Hillington

(Deanside)

Port of

Tyne

Leeds

Wakefield

Port of Liverpool

Birch Coppice

Trafford Park

Coatbridge

Mossend

Ely

Hams Hall

BarkingFelixstowe

Tilbury

Felixstowe

Barking

Out of the wayThere are many obstacles to clearing

routes. Laser Rail, now part of theBalfour Beatty group, carried out astudy in September 2007 for the RailSafety and Standards Board. Itconsidered 33,556 structures on 19core and 11 diversionary routes. Thefinding was that 1,530 structures hadsubstandard clearances for high cubes.

Reconstruction tends to be the lastresort due to the expense anddisruption, typically needing a 30 to 50hour possession to redeck a bridge.Track slews and track lowers may be apreferred alternative to achievesatisfactory clearances. They can alsogenerally be fitted into 16 hour blocks,thus restricting the disruption toSunday mornings.

However, there is a trade-off withachievable clearance. Reconstructionswill generally be done to provide W12gauge, allowing for 2.6m wide ‘short-sea’ containers. Track lowers may onlybe able to achieve W10 gauge fornarrower 2.5m wide ‘deep-sea’ boxes.

The decision on each route dependson cost difference between providingW10 versus W12. For example, theroute through Southampton Tunnelhas been cleared to W10 gauge,whereas the East Coast routes areexpected to achieve W12 gauge.

Many of the upgrades are on keypassenger routes. An example is theDoncaster to Tamworth section whichis critical for Cross Country Trains and issensitive to route closures. On thisroute, only 3 reconstructions areneeded but there are 42 track lowersand slews. In addition, the trackworkswill result in other works including 6platform modifications, some signalrelocations and some works to platformawnings. Most of the work on this routehas been backloaded to 2013 and 2014to assist planning, and at presentaround 80% to 90% of the possessionshave been agreed.

Network Rail tends to use frameworktype agreements to cover each area.Contracting works on line-of-routerather than piecemeal has been foundto create better performance and avoidconflicts between contractors.

A good example is the close workingrelationship which developed withCarillion leading to their innovativeproposals for completing theSouthampton Tunnel track lower in oneChristmas blockade rather than two. Thisgenerated a huge financial saving whichwas a key contributor to completing theroute to the Midlands £11 million belowits £71 million budget.

Future schemesThe next need will be for capacity

improvements. The Strategic FreightNetwork proposes an investment fundof £350 million for Control Period 5 from2014 to 2019. These form part of theInitial Industry Plan of September 2011.The freight sector is currently lobbyinghard on the value of the proposals.

Four principal schemes are proposed,of which three will provide capacityimprovements. A second phase isproposed for Felixstowe to Nuneaton,including track doublings, remodellingof junctions, resignalling, headwayimprovements and line speedimprovements.

Likewise, a second phase forSouthampton to the Midlands willimprove capacity. The proposalincludes new freight loops,enhancements to existing loops to suit775m-long trains, signalling headwayimprovements and bi-directionalsignalling.

The West Coast main line north ofPreston is largely two-track and hasbeen identified as a significantconstraint on future traffic growth.Here, the emphasis is about moreefficient working by providing loops inthe right place to suit modern tractioncharacteristics and timetabling. The aimis to give an overall decrease in journeytimes by keeping loop stops brief.

The major gauge clearance scheme isthe Great Western Main Line betweenLondon, Bristol and Cardiff. It wasdecided that this should be consideredas an incremental scheme after thecompletion of electrification by 2016.Bridge reconstructions required by theelectrification will be constructed tosuit W12 gauge for the largestcontainers.

Freight lineThe industry plan emphasises the

importance of rail freight to thenational economy. Modal shift fromroad is a key opportunity: rail currentlyhas only around 11.6% of the marketfor freight moved in the UK. The planaims to stimulate economic growth byaccommodating a 30% increase in railfreight moved by 2030, taking 15,000lorry journeys a day off the roads.

Lindsay Durham, chair of the RailFreight Operators Association, says, “Theimportance of rail freight in helping UKmanufacturing grow is essential. Thefreight operators and Network Rail willdeliver efficiencies to offer UK industry acompetitive service, while focusedinvestment in the network will deliverfurther significant modal shift to railover the coming years.”

The growth of the network gauge-cleared for high cube containers is avery visible indication of the

investment in rail freight. It is alsosymbolic of a change in perception. Nolonger will the railway be seen merelyas a carrier of bulk materials like coal.Railways will be an integral part of amodern transport system able to satisfythe needs, locations, reliability andtimescales of customers with high-value goods. And the means oftransport? The ubiquitous container.


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New bridge at Stoke Charity,Winchester.(Bottom) An example of bridgenotching.


hat do interfaces mean to engineers?Perhaps a good definition would be the

interconnection between systems or subsystems from the same or differentmanufacturers. But this falls way short of listingall interfaces that occur on the railway, many soobvious that we do not recognise them assuch. This was the subject of the recent RailwayEngineers Forum seminar held on 2 February inLondon. Interfaces are a known problem areabut could they be managed better if an inter-disciplinary approach were to be adopted? Theseminar sought to gain the benefit of bothgood and not-so-good experiences ofinterfaces and to learn how business and otherrisks can be identified and managed. Also toprobe how ingenious solutions might resolvethe more challenging interfaces and examinewhether a better understanding at the outsetcould resolve any problems.

The Wider Interface RealismAn inspired key note speech by Prof

Roderick Smith of Imperial College,President of the IMechE and well known forhis witty presentations, got to the core of thesubject. Interfaces can be physical, human orsystem, and are typified by movement,separation, load, friction, energy loss, costand lubrication. The prime interface of steelwheel on steel rail comes down to diameter,cone and curve. Beyond that comes theinterfaces for train movement:• Driver and signals• Train on track - quality of ride• Train and exterior - fuel, drag, emissions• Signals and catenaries• On board mechatronics - cab displays, in

cab signalling (also in the past steamengine design).

The rail engineering mind will know all thisbut what about the social interface betweensystems and people? Many discrepanciesemerge in values, interests, knowledge andpower. Consider the experience of buying aticket. Whilst e-ticketing is encouraged, thecasual user often has difficulty with the website. On encountering a ticket machine, it isinvariably at the wrong height, the credit/debitcard number requirement is difficult tounderstand and the fares matrix isbewildering. Apparent high price is off-puttingto the casual user which leads to bad press.

Entering a platform requires ticketinsertion, usually when one’s hands are full.In Japan, barriers are normally open andread a contactless data card in the pocket. Ifthis is not correct, the barrier will close.

In the station environ, there are too manynegative signs - don’t do this, don’t do that.The station may be filled with diesel fumesand noise - is train travel really so green? Thecondition of the track “four foot” in terminalstations is often disgusting - litter and otherunimaginables! Staff if asked a question,may not know the answer - why do revenueprotection people not know train times? Abroader knowledge would be so muchbetter.

The advent of high speed rail is welcomedbut should be geared to regenerating andbringing together country economicconditions. The supply of electric power willbe crucial but how fast should a train go?Surely more important to work out what thejourney time should be. HS rail is about masstransit for everyone, not just the rich!

Resolving the interface dilemma should beat the forefront of everyone’s mind.Wherever possible, remove the interfaceentirely. Not always possible, of course, soremove unnecessary movement, thinkacross the interface, lubricate the interfaceand understand the system objectives. Thisset the scene for what was to come.

ERTMS and the Cambrian Trialthe rail engineer has reported on the

Cambrian ERTMS trial on three occasions -issues 74 (Dec 2010), 79 (May 2011) and 87(Jan 2012). Various problems have emergedwith the deployed system. Graham Scottfrom Interfleet Technology and PeterLeppard, the Operations & Safety Directorfor Arriva Trains Wales, critically analysed theinterface weaknesses that have occurred onthis project. From a TOC perspective, theretro fitting of the Class 158 DMUs proved tobe a nightmare. Onboard equipmentconsisting of DMI, doppler and speedsensors, balise reader and antenna, onboardATP (sometimes known as the EVC with a

W


Ingenuityat the InterfaceA train headstowards Harlechpast a blocksection marker(yellow arrow onblue background). PH

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SIL4 platform and difficult to changebecause of safety case approval) tachometer& odometer, GSM-R radio & antenna,juridicial recorder unit plus the inter-vehiclejumpers and a mass of cabling had to beinstalled on the train. All were difficult toaccommodate on the unit and many provedtroublesome when fitted. The train was justnot suitable for conversion and it wouldhave been easier (and probably cheaper) tohave provided new DMUs with the ERTMSequipment factory fitted.

Operationally, the system is far toorestrictive, forcing the Cambrian into amould of conventional signalling unsuitablefor the line. Too much caution isprogrammed into the braking curvecharacteristic and it always assumes theworst case. The effect is cumulative and hasactually reduced the number of train pathswhen the aim was for them to be increased.The speed profiles led to too many shortspeed restrictions which made the ATPapplication undriveable. Cab boot up timesare far too long at around 1½ minutes, andthe logic processes for the splitting of trainswere not properly thought through.Software upgrades take on average eightmonths to implement. The transmission ofaxle counter information over the FTN didnot have the data formats configuredproperly.

It is to be hoped that operational as well astechnical lessons will be learned, perhapswith a starting point that Railway GroupStandards, the ultimate in interfacedocumentation, are not optimal for ERTMS.The message is - don’t tinker with theexisting, start anew. The S&T / T&RS interfaceneeds careful thought; should the on-trainequipment be procured by the train buildersrather than the signal engineer? After all, it issupposed to be interoperable!

Platform ExtensionsMany platform extensions are currently

being progressed to accommodate longertrains with the upsurge in traffic. Soundsstraightforward, but many interfacecomplications arise. Damien Gent is theProgramme Manager for the Thameslink 12-car project and gave a fascinating account of

the work carried out between London andBedford. Involving 80% of the stations, thenecessary civil works of digging outembankments, driving piles, etc. wereobvious tasks. However, every extensionencountered either a signal, overhead linestructure, CCTV DOO camera, train stop signor other encumbrance. Initially attemptswere made to build round these but it wasquickly realised that the best way was tomove / relocate all such items out of the wayfirst, expensive as this was. Building theplatform proved to be relatively cheap.Different standards now exist for platformwidth which could result in the tactile tilesand yellow lines having a dog leg in themwhere new met old. This looked odd sowherever possible the new platform wouldbe built to the standards of the old. AtElstree, the use of modular platforms wastried with precast units coming fromGermany on a low loader. This provedeffective with 140 metres constructed in 24hours by just 6 people.

Some locations were very difficult. AtLuton, the 80 metre northwards extensionwas constrained by a road bridge thatneeded three bridge decks to be replacedon a different alignment. This was micromanaged over four days at Easter 2010 withall work timed in 15 minute blocks. It took13,000 man hours round the clock tocomplete and included realigning OLEstructures and new signals.

At West Hampstead, with its closeinterchange to both the North London andJubilee lines, it was recognised that thehigher number of people using the stationcould not enter or exit the platforms quicklyenough. Thus a new footbridge and asecond station building were needed todisgorge passengers safely, resulting in acost of £19 million against an initial budgetof £3 million but with much praise beingreceived for the end result.

Fitting Trains to InfrastructureObtaining new rolling stock should not

normally be a problem with interfaces butwhen coaches are three metres longer thanthe previous ones, all sorts of complicationcan occur. The Siemens Class 380 trains for

Every extensionencountered either

a signal, CCTVcamera or other

encumbrance.


the Ayrshire coast were a case in point.George Davidson, the Rolling Stockmanager for Transport Scotland and NickHortin, the New Trains Director for FirstScotrail, described some of the factors thathad to be considered. Before such a projectstarts, there should be a Train InfrastructureInterface Specification (TIIS), but this wasnon existent so Siemens with ScotRaildesigned a compatibility plan.Demonstrating that gauging and steppingwere compatible with the existing networkmeant that the 23 metre long cars had to be8cm narrower than the earlier 20 metrecarriages. With an improved safety cell andcrashworthiness for the driver’s cab, asloping gangway connection was needed togive an acceptable right hand view. Anenhanced automatic selective door openingusing GPS and odometry was introduced soas to be independent of ground systems.

Despite testing on the Siemens test trackin Germany, in Scotland the AWS receiverswere found to be too sensitive and thetotally software driven controls (except forthe emergency brake) caused problems withdriving techniques. As such, the trains weremuch delayed into service, with consequentdelay to the cascade of the Class 334s to theAirdrie - Bathgate line.

Lessons have been learned and for theEdinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirkelectrification, a TIIS is being prepared. ANetwork Rail system integrator will beappointed who will lead the compatibilityexercise. Existing infrastructure constraints,principally at Glasgow Queen St where siterestrictions mean the trains cannot belonger, has meant the trains will be 23 metrethree-car units. They are expected to belightweight, energy efficient and capable of100mph, described as conservativelyinnovative.

Electrification ImplicationsPeter Dearman, the Network Rail Head of

Network Electrification, who had given theannual railway lecture to the IET (issue 86,Dec 2011), described the massiveprogramme of electrification beingembarked upon; GWML, NW England, EGIP,Trans-Pennine, and five more schemes upfor authorisation. Wonderful news, but whatare the main interfaces that have to beconsidered?• Bridges. Being built too small by the

Victorians makes mechanical and electricalclearances a constant problem. Sometimesthey can be adapted (soffits attached to

the bridge arch) but often a new bridge isrequired;

• Tunnels. These have similar spaceconstraints but often with the addedproblem of water ingress. Latest thinking isfor a solid aluminium conductor to keepthe catenary away from the water flow;

• Grid Supply. A bulk supply is required butfeeder points need to be at places wherepower lines cross the railway. Gridsuppliers do not want to distribute largesingle phase loads. Supplies must also besecure, have the right capacity and bereliable;

• Telecoms. SCADA systems have to giveprotection and control of short circuits andhave to distinguish between these andhigh loads. Whilst the problem ofharmonic induction into copper circuitshas diminished with the advent of fibre,immunisation must still be considered.Earthing, bonding and the return path fortraction current have to be managed andcontrolled;

• Stations and Signalling. Earthing andbonding remain important factors thatmust be understood and managed;

• Trains. Electrical loading and tractionsystem noise are the biggestconsiderations but pantographperformance is another minefield. Theexperience of running Eurostar trains onthe ECML will be remembered; the‘Sherman Tank’ design of pantograph witha high upward thrust caused significantproblems to the OLE. It is likely the new IEPwill have two raised pantographs basedupon latest TGV experience on thecontinent.

Other more obscure interfaces are:• Gas, water and oil pipelines - great care is

needed when excavating for sub stations;• Power line crossings - enhanced clearances

for 11 and 33kV local distributionnetworks;

• Airports - when runways are adjacent torailways, trip wires are needed to switch offthe current;

• Other railways - LUL, Metros whencompatibility with third-rail DCand tram power lines isneeded;

• Other grid customers -interference from tractionsystem effects, also importedharmonics;

• Public and neighbours - visualimpact, earthing / bonding,access to sites and homes.

All these have to beconsidered, negotiated, planned,implemented and mitigated forany electrification scheme.

London UndergroundUpgrade Programme

The upgrade of the LondonUnderground Sub Surface Lines(SSL) was reported in issue 85 ofthe rail engineer (November2011). This described many of theinterface challenges that existedwith old and new signalling andinterworking with other lines.

Kuldeep Gharatya, the Head of Systems forthe Capital Programmes, explained some ofthe other interfaces that were emerging onboth the SSL and the other lines that arecurrently being upgraded. His definition “TheWhole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts”may be something that all of us shouldremember. LU is experiencingunprecedented overlapping upgradeprogrammes and is operating at the edge ofthe performance envelope.

Separate, and sometimes incompatible,elements within both the internalengineering group and the supply basemust work (or be made to work) together.Working in silos does not create reliable andeffective end systems. Misunderstanding theinterfaces cannot be afforded. The modernmetro is a series of tightly coupled systems -wheel-rail, signalling, train power, powersupply, cooling, ventilation, emc, track totrain coms, platform-train, ticketing, internetand more. All are software based systemsand the complexity has to drive theinterface. Even McNulty has said it isessential that interfaces are understood.

The new S Stock trains are the mostcomplex yet. The functional requirementsemerged in 3 phases - a brainstorming ofneed, an indicative design solution, andproduction of an ITT. Attempts by thesignalling engineers to change what wasalready being supplied were not helpful.Lessons from the SSL project will beincorporated into a new radical design forthe deep tube lines where a whole systemprogramme is being devised for theWaterloo & City, Piccadilly and Bakerloolines. This will have high levels of automationto give 32 trains per hour capacity. Failing toachieve this will cost huge sums of money.

In SummaryAltogether a fascinating day and those in

attendance should be better informed onthe interfaces that can and do occur. Thereare many more to consider but ignore themat your peril. Engaging all the engineeringand operating disciplines at the outset mustbe the message.

Class 380 atSiemens’ Krefeldworks.

Aerial shot of theworks undertakenat Baker Streetplatforms 1, 2, 3 & 4.

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march 2012 | the rail engineer | 41earthworks

T’was in the year of ‘89 on that old Great Western line,When the winter wind was blowin’ shrill,

The rails were froze, the wheels were cold, then the air brakes wouldn’t hold,And Number 9 came roaring down the hill - oh!

Robert E. Massey (1925)

he classic children’s song The RunawayTrain was written in 1925 by Robert E.

Massey, Carson Robison and Harry Warren.You may not know this first verse, but nodoubt you can sing the chorus of “Therunaway train came down the track and sheblew…..”.

It is a humorous little song. But when therunaway train is a 28 tonne excavator,running down a gradient in the middle of aworksite, with the driver’s foot hard on thebrake pedal, and it is still doing ten miles anhour, then it is not so amusing.

And to some extent, that is what hashappened on occasion. Road-rail plant isusually a conversion of a machine normallyused on roads and rough ground, and if thatconversion isn’t perfect then trouble canoccur.

Type 9bFollowing a detailed risk assessment,

which included a number of calculationsbased on observations and incident reports,Network Rail derived that the biggest riskseemed to be with Type 9b excavators. Forreaders not conversant with theterminology, there are three types of road-rail excavators, depending on the type of railwheels fitted. The reason for these

seemingly strange notations is to allowharmonisation with Europe; RRVs usedwithin a possession are known collectivelyas Type 9 vehicles.

Type 9a vehicles have hydraulicallyoperated rail wheels which, when lowered,lift the whole machine clear of the track. Theflanged rail wheels are hydrostaticallypowered and the whole traction andbraking system is independent of theoriginal road-vehicle.

Type 9b also lift the road wheels clear ofthe track so that the machine only runs onits flanged steel wheels. However, drive andbraking still comes through the rubber tyres,which either rub against the steel tyre of theflanged wheel, or on a knurled stub axlewhich protrudes from it.

Type 9c have flanged guide rails which arelet down at each end of the machine to keepit on the track. However, the rubber roadwheels sit on the top of the rails and providetraction and braking directly between thetyre and the rail surface.

The problem seemed to be with thosetype 9bs which were arranged so that therubber road tyres drive, and brake, themachine by friction against the steel railwheel tyre. In dry conditions, and on leveltrack, there is no problem at all. The driver

puts his foot on the brake, therubber wheels slow down and stop, and sodo the rail wheels.

However, and it’s a big however,occasionally that doesn’t happen. If theinterface between the rubber and steelwheels becomes contaminated by oil, or leafmould, and that then becomes wet, and therubber tyre isn’t perfectly inflated, the steelwheel can slip on the rubber one. And thenyou’re in trouble. Once that slip has begun,there is nothing to stop the machine until itruns out of energy or until the interfacebetween the two wheels dries out andfriction returns. But on a steady downgrade,that could be in a mile, or more.

T

runawaysPreventing


A neat front brakearrangement byGOS Engineering.

Improved brakingSo, to protect track workers and others, not

least the excavator driver, something had tobe done. Network Rail decided that all class9b excavators would have to be fitted with abraking system that acts directly on the railwheels. This would not only have to apply tonew machines, but be retro-fitted to theentire fleet that is used on the railway. Andbecause this is a new requirement, NetworkRail would have to pay for it.

Several suppliers were asked to develop asuitable braking system and tender toretrofit the fleet. At the same time ananalysis of the exact number of machinesused on the railway was undertaken, and adecision was made to fit brakes to about75% of the hire fleet as these are the coremachines that are used by Network Rail on aregular basis. A total of 450 machines wereidentified as needing upgrading.

Three suppliers were selected - Rexquote,Allan J Hargreaves, and GOS Tool andEngineering Services. All three fitted theirsystem to an excavator, and sent it off toNetwork Rail for evaluation. After some“tweaking”, all three came up with approvedsolutions, and the rail engineer went off to asnowy Tuxford in North Nottinghamshire tohave a look.

Test trackThe Rail Innovation and Development

Centre (RIDC) at Tuxford is on Network Rail’sHigh Marnham test track and is about threemiles from High Marnham Power Stationand ten miles from the Robin Hood Line atOllerton. A series of sidings and spurs off thesingle-track line at the RIDC allow vehicles tobe tested on gradients, canted track andtight curves without obstructing the maintest track.

The first demonstration was of aReadypower Gigarailer which had beenfitted with a Rexquote braking system.Although there was snow on the ground,the rails and wheels were dry. The heavyexcavator came down a 1 in 25 gradient at10 miles per hour and stopped just using theoriginal road brakes. It seemed to stop fairlysmartly and the flanged wheels locked.

After a few runs at different speeds, the railwheel brakes were turned on and the testsrepeated. Yes, the machine stopped a littlequicker, but it didn’t seem too significant.Spectators were left wondering, to anextent, what all the fuss had been about.

The braking arrangement wasneat enough, and Rexquote personnelhappily answered our questions, but at thatstage no-one had really grasped themagnitude of the difference in brakingefficiency the new system had. The railwheels were fitted with extensions to givemore tyre surface area for the road wheels tobear on - which may have contributed to thegood performance in road-brake-only trim.The skill of the driver, one of Readypower’sbest operators, will also have helped.

The second test was on the flat, andinvolved a Balfour Beatty medium-weight(22 tonne) excavator fitted with Philmorroad-rail gear and brakes by GOSEngineering. This one had a special trailer onthe back to give a direct readout of stoppingdistance, including driver reaction time. Asthis machine couldn’t switch off its railbrakes (none of them will be able to inservice, the two that could were fordemonstration purposes only), we couldn’tsee a comparative test, but it certainlyseemed to stop quite quickly from a varietyof speeds. The brake arrangement was againneat and workman-like. Large disc brakeswere fitted inboard of each of the four railwheels with heavy-duty hydraulic callipersof the type fitted to heavy earthmovers. Aprotective guard was fitted under each discso, if the machine should become derailed,the disc itself wouldn’t impact the rail headand be damaged.

OMG!However, all debate about the need for the

new system was silenced by the third testusing a big Colmar T10000, owned byStobart Rail and fitted with brakes by Allan JHargreaves. This was the “adverseconditions” test and the rails were constantlywetted by a water spray. To make thingsworse, washing up liquid was dribbled ontothe tops of the rails over a 40-foot length, tosimulate the greasy conditions that can beencountered.

The excavator was run back and forth acouple of times to transfer the water anddetergent onto the rubber wheels, gettingthe interface between rubber and steelwheels well and truly covered. Then, withthe rail brakes turned off, the excavatorcame down towards the spectators at16kph. When it drew level, the driver appliedthe brakes and - nothing happened!

That’s not quitetrue. The rubber road wheels stopped goinground. But the steel rail wheels didn’t andthe complete 28 tonne machine carried onat unabated speed. It eventually stoppedsome 80 feet further up the track - and thatwas on a slight upgrade. If it had beenbraking to avoid hitting someone who hadstepped in front, they wouldn’t have stood achance.

After a few more runs, with theperformance being equally poor each time,the new brakes were turned on. Once againthe heavy excavator reached a steady speedof about 16kph, the driver applied thebrakes, and – it stopped! Without drama,and with the steel wheels just starting tolock, it came to a standstill quite quickly –and about 60 feet earlier than it had before.The difference was startling.

That one test had made believers of all thespectators. Suddenly, the danger ofunbraked steel rail wheels was obvious to all,and the improvement using hydraulic discbrakes was very marked.

Everyone gathered round the stationarymachine to inspect the new brakes. NetworkRail engineers were at pains to point outthat all three approved braking systems hada similar performance – the difference onthe day was simply due to the different testsbeing carried out.

They also advised that, if the “adverseconditions” had been applied to the firstdemonstration on the 1 in 25 gradient, themachine would not have stopped at all andthey would have had to go and dig it out ofthe sand trap at the bottom. From the waythey spoke, it had happened.

The big Colmar was then purposelyderailed, and everyone could see how thedisc protectors worked. But minds were noton that display, but the powerful memory ofa 28 tonne excavator sailing majesticallydown a flat track, road wheels locked, withnothing anyone could do to stop it.

Frightening!Network Rail plan to have all the core

machines converted to rail-wheel-brakes byOctober. It can’t come soon enough...

Many thanks to Paul Conway, James Allenden,Norman Jordan and their team for organisinga very interesting demonstration.

42 | the rail engineer | march 2012 earthworks

(Left) 28 tonnes ofexcavator hits thewet track!(Right) Note howthe disc guardprevents damageto the brake discon this Allan JHargreavesinstallation.


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etwork Rail has an ever more pressingneed to manage infrastructure assets so

as to minimise their whole life cost. Thatclearly includes the cost of failures and theresulting train delays and cancellations aswell as the cost of responding to incidentsand remedying the damage they cause. Thecompany is working increasingly closelywith its customers, and so it is also veryaware of the non fiscal aspects of failure anddisruption, such as the reputational damageto its image and the image of trainoperators, as well as the loss of custom toalternative modes.

Discussions about these matters go backto the Railtrack days and even earlier, whensenior managers wanted to know how toavoid unexpected disruption fromembankment failures on the WCML. Therewas no easy answer, given that there werefar too many miles of known suspect banksfor it to be economic to strengthen them allbefore they failed.

Today, Graham Birch is Network Rail SeniorAsset Engineer (Geotechnics), based atCroydon. He and his colleagues have beencarrying out important work to improve themanagement of railway earthworks assets,in the south-east of the country in particular.His team is now applying measures which,for his area of the country at least, arebeginning to offer ways to economicallymonitor and manage embankments andcutting slopes. The first objective is to ensurethat likely trouble spots are identified andremedial action is taken before a damagingfailure occurs. The second is to have in placemonitoring systems on suspect sites not yetrectified that can give warning of failurebefore it causes an incident with traffic,ensuring rail safety. Third is the need tounderstand the reasons for instability so asto develop the most cost effective remedialstrategy for each site.

Understanding historyIt is necessary to understand the

geological history of the area concernedbefore one can begin to understand theearthworks constructed there. The history ofthe earthworks themselves is equallyimportant. The natural materials exposed incutting faces when the railways were builtwere laid down millions of years ago. Therailways in the UK were built around 150years ago, so the cuttings were dug and theembankments built at that time.

Consequently, there are markeddifferences in geotechnical properties, andthus engineering behaviour, between thematerials exposed in the cutting faces andthose within the embankments.

In this country, there was opposition tothe construction of railways from wealthylandowners and operators of the existingcanal system. This caused difficulty incarrying out topographic surveys of theroutes, requiring, in some cases, theemployment of prize fighters to protect thesurvey teams, and even necessitatingsurveying by moonlight to avoid gangs ofobjectors. These constraints, in conjunctionwith the pressure to minimise land-take,resulted in side slopes being overly steep on

embankments and in cuttings. A furtherconsequence is in the necessity fordiversion of the lines from the optimumroutes to skirt around estate boundaries;Hatfield Curve and the bend in OxtedTunnel may both be examples, but there aremany others.

Embankments were usually built by endtipping the material arising from the nearestcutting with no prior surface preparation.The fill was therefore a random mix ofwhatever came along, placed withoutconsolidation onto an inadequate base. Notsurprisingly many banks failed duringconstruction, and those that didn’t often stillgive trouble today in poor track geometryand worse.

UK railway builders were pioneers, and inmany ways they were learning as they wentalong; in engineering, and in managing thepolitical climate, the challenges were noveland errors were made. When constructionmoved abroad the climate was generallypolitically more favourable; the railwayswere able to use more land and choosebetter alignments. Lessons had beenlearned about the engineering too, and sobetter design and construction standardswere possible.

N

ManagingEarthworks

Chris Parkerw r i t e r

Emergencystabilisation atMerstham, Surrey.(Right) Rock fall atFolkestoneWarren.

Physical geographyThe surface physiography is dictated by

the underlying geology of the area. In theUK, south and east of a line roughly betweenthe Severn and Humber estuaries, over-consolidated clays have a significant impacton the earthworks. These clays are sensitiveto moisture change and respond byshrinking, as they dry, and swelling when re-wetted. London Clay and Weald Clay are themost widespread, but Gault Clay is the mostmoisture sensitive.

The orientation of rail lines in SE Englandrelative to the geological structure or ‘grain’is a factor in determining how likely it is thata route will be affected by the moisturesensitive clays. Wessex’s primary routes runsouthwest-northeast and are largely clear ofthe clays, but Kent’s primary routes areheavily susceptible because they run east-west, parallel to the axis of the WealdenAnticline, and tend to stay on either chalk orclay throughout. Sussex’s primary routes runnorth-south, roughly at right angles to thegrain and so cross the clays quickly and passonto sounder geology.

The winter of 2000/2001 was exceptionallywet, causing 160 failures of earthworks inthe South East. Initially it was the clayembankments that failed due to excessivemoisture content but, as the rainfallcontinued, cutting slopes outside the clayareas also began to fail. This period waseffectively one of ‘destructive testing’ andprovided fresh insight into the preparatoryprocesses and triggering factors inearthworks failures.

GISmos and chainsAsset management of Network Rail’s

earthworks begins with examination inaccordance with Standard NR/L3/CIV/065,Examination of Earthworks. Theexaminations are carried out by consultantsusing hand-held electronic data gatheringdevices linked to satellites and loaded withbespoke software such as “GISmo”(Geographical Information System Mobile).Examiners use drop-down menus to ensurethat the data gathered is as objective aspossible, so they can make like for likecomparisons between routes.

Every five chain lengths (~100m) of routeis categorised by condition as Serviceable,Marginal or Poor. Those in the first categoryare re-examined every 10 years, and those in

the second are re-examined every five. Poorearthworks are subjected to furtherevaluation, to confirm the consultants’ score,and then prioritised to determine whichsites need to be passed on for monitoring orremediation. This is how the business plan ispopulated.

LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging)surveys are used to obtain detailed surfacecontour data and subsurface information isobtained by Ground Investigation using


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Earthworks

Problems atSeaton Junction,Devon.

state-of-the art slope-climbing rigs forsampling the steep faces of earthworks, androad/rail truck-mounted Cone PenetrometerTest rigs for drilling through the 4-foot, suchas that operated by Lankelma, which iscapable of doing a 20 metre test in half anhour.

Monitoring of Poor earth structures mayuse conventional techniques, such asboreholes equipped with piezometers andinclinometers, but more sophisticatedmeans of obtaining real-time condition dataremotely are under development.

Especially steep slopes can beinstrumented to give real time warnings ofhazards as well as to provide engineeringdata. Pull wires attached to slope netting areused at Hooley Cutting, Sussex, to detect theaccumulation of debris behind thecontainment netting. Alarm thresholds areset to alert selected managers to an incidentvia the mobile phone system and webcamscan be checked from any computer as aback up. Between Folkestone and Dover inKent, where the railway runs along theseaward side of the 150 metre high Chalksea cliffs, there are signal wires attached to arockfall detection fence which automaticallyset the signals to danger in the event of acliff fall incident.

Trees hold up banks - don’t they?Vegetation has an important influence on

earthwork behaviour. Contrary to commonbelief, trees do not hold up the banks. Whilstthis may be applicable to natural slopes orengineered highways earthworks, it is notapplicable to the over-steepened cuttingand embankment slopes on the railway

infrastructure. Fieldtrials on clay coredembankments havedemonstratedground disturbanceto be 10 times greaterwhere trees arepresent compared tograss. Also, tree rootstypically penetratefive times furtherthan those of grass.Given that claysshrink and swell in

response to seasonalvariations in moisture content, it is easy toappreciate how the presence of trees canexacerbate the effects of seasonal moisturevariations, in particular at the desiccationpart of the cycle when the presence of treescan give rise to poor track geometry andultimately speed restrictions. Vegetation hasother detrimental effects for railways,particularly in the case of trees on cuttingfaces, as we well know. It is thus importantto manage vegetation, remove trees fromslopes and discourage their re-growth.

Climate change is tending to increase thenumber and potential severity of weatherrelated incidents. Dryersummers, wetter wintersand more days of heavyrain clearly imply moreproblems with earthstructures.

Monitoring moistureAs mentioned before,

weather has a majorinfluence on earthworks.Clay behaviour is affectedby its moisture contentand the greater thedeviation from normal,the greater is thatinfluence, be it extremelywet or extremely dry. Ofparticular interest is therelationship betweenrainfall, Soil MoistureDeficit (SMD) andearthwork behaviour.Rainfall information isobtained from the

Meteorological Office and compared to thelocal Long Term Average (LTA).

The SMD parameter was originallydeveloped by the Met Office for agriculturaluse. However, research at Imperial Collegeinto the failure of London Underground’sclay embankments highlighted the potentialfor its use in monitoring the condition ofclay-cored embankments which are subjectto seasonal shrink-swell processes.

“Earthworks Watch” is a system developedby Graham and his colleagues to informasset managers, maintainers, emergencyresponse contractors and others in the SEarea about the likely condition of their earthstructures. It allows them to betterunderstand their assets and to plan andrespond more effectively to likely changes. Itis based upon 12 years of monitoring in thesouth east of England by Network Rail, and isproving an effective management tool.

The system looks at five key variables: • Asset type (cutting…at grade…

embankment)• Geology (granular/rock…cohesive/clays)• Condition (serviceable…marginal…poor)• Moisture content (SMD) (saturated…

normal…desiccated)• Vegetation type (trees…grass).

Rainfall is also recorded relative to the longterm average for the site. The systempresents users with three indicators: groundcondition, condition trend and earthworkresponse. These are presented on theNetwork Rail portal weekly in map form andmonthly as a full graphical display of thedata.

The system is, in Graham’s view, of greatestbenefit south of the imaginary line betweenthe Severn and Humber estuaries aselsewhere the bedrock types are differentand not generally susceptible to the samesort of analysis. However, HydrologicallyEffective Rainfall (HER), a measure ofexcessive water after the SMD value hasreached zero (i.e. saturation), is a furtherparameter which is being assessed for itspotential to predict the propensity forflooding and scour in the non-clay materialsprevalent elsewhere in the UK.


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(Right) Improveddrainage atHoniton Cutting,Devon.

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Phil Sowdenw r i t e r

Severn Valley Railway

he Severn Valley Railway (SVR) is astandard gauge, heritage railway,

predominantly operated by steamlocomotives, running between Bridgnorth inShropshire and Kidderminster inWorcestershire. The railway regularly carriesmore than 200,000 passengers each year.

SVR operations began in 1970 betweenBridgnorth and Hampton Loade, a distanceof approximately 5 miles. The line wasextended in stages to its current length of 16miles when trains began running into abrand new station constructed by theSevern Valley at Kidderminster, adjacent tothe Network Rail station.

Storm damageDuring 2007, the railway suffered major

storm damage which resulted in closure ofthe line between Bridgnorth and Bewdleywhile repairs were carried out. Damageoccurred to the line in more than 40locations, but at seven of these, significant

work was required including the rebuildingof embankments using reinforced earth andsoil nailing techniques. The cost of therepairs was £3,700,000 and the railway wasfully reopened after nine months.

Since reopening at Easter 2008, the railwayhas carried out a number of significantinfrastructure projects amounting tovirtually £1.5 million. These have included:• Major work on the main Worcester Road

rail-over-road bridge at Kidderminsterwhich involved digging down to exposethe arch of the bridge and also includedminor work on an adjacent bridge and thereplacement of approximately 1/3 mile oflife expired bull head track with new,continuously welded, flat bottom rail;

• Work on the steam locomotive repairfacilities at Bridgnorth including the“rescue” of a locomotive wheel drop(capable of taking wheels up to 6’ 9”diameter) from the former Leicesterlocomotive shed and its restoration andinstallation at Bridgnorth;

• The design, build and installation of atraditional-style passenger footbridgespanning three tracks at Highley Station;

• The installation of a new drainage systemthrough Arley Station which required theremoval of all trackwork and formationthrough the platforms, demolition of bothplatform faces, provision of new deepdrainage followed by the replacement ofthe formation and trackwork and therebuilding of new platform faces andsurfaces in a traditional pattern;

• The removal of the double track formationacross a ten arch sandstone viaduct atBewdley followed by the provision of newdrainage, a concrete deck withwaterproofing and the replacement of alltrack and formation.

Renewal plansDuring the first few weeks of 2012, major

work has been carried out in the vicinity ofthe tunnel between Bewdley andKidderminster. This work involved theprovision of a new drainage system and thereplacement of all track through the tunnel,and the renewal of additional track forapproximately 600 feet in the Bewdleydirection.

The single bore tunnel was constructed bythe contractor Charles Dickinson in 1876under the supervision of GWR engineerEdward Wilson. The tunnel is just over 478yards long and passes through a ridge of redsandstone. Various problems occurredfollowing its construction which resulted init being partially brick lined. The GWR carriedout a full relining of the tunnel between 3rdAugust and 20 October 1910 and an articledescribing the relining appeared in theGreat Western Railway Magazine ofDecember 1910.

Comparatively little engineering work hasbeen carried out on the tunnel structuresince then. The drainage through the tunnelhas now failed and this, in turn, has led tocontamination of the ballast and sleeperfailure. The existing bull head rail throughthe tunnel has also reached the point atwhich replacement is necessary. Fortunatelythe main tunnel structure and brickwork isin good condition.

PreparationsA specification for the work was produced

during summer 2011 and a number ofcontractors were invited to bid for the work.Tenders were submitted and once these hadbeen evaluated a preferred contractor, WalshConstruction from Worcestershire, wasselected to carry out the civils part of the

T

century-old infrastructure

(Top) Layingsleepers in thetunnel.Removing track atthe Bewdley end.

Renewing

contract. The Severn Valley Railway in-house permanent way department wasresponsible for the trackwork aspects ofthe contract.

Tunnel work was carried out between3 January and 10 February 2012 whenthe line was closed to all traffic. Trainsoperated during the school half termweek of 11 to 19 February after whichfurther Monday to Friday possessionstook place to permit completion andtidying of the site. The project has abudget of £250,000, including trackreplacement, and is scheduled to becompleted by 16 March.

Initial work was carried out duringNovember 2011 to install linearsoakaways within the cesses at bothends of the tunnel in readiness for theconnection to the main tunnel drain.Each soakaway is 40 metres long with adepth of 1.2 metres, lined withgeotextile and including 100mmperforated pipes and 40mm aggregatefill. Some repairs were also made to thebrickwork of the tunnel refuges. It wasessential that this work did notjeopardise either the railway’s weekendrunning or the Santa operation - whenabout 30,000 passengers travelled onthe line during the weekends inDecember to visit Santa in his Grotto atArley.

Work in progressThe first stage was the removal of

signalling and telecommunicationcables through the tunnel, after whichtrack lifting commenced from theBewdley end of the site. Once the trackhad been lifted Walsh Constructionremoved the ballast and beganinstallation of the new drainage system.This consisted of longitudinal 100mmperforated pipes with rodableinspection pots at 100m centres set400mm below sleeper level along bothsides of the track. Once the drainage wasinstalled, the Walsh Construction team

placed bottom ballast in readiness forthe SVR track gang to follow themthrough the tunnel.

The tunnel has a prevailing gradientof 1 in 100 and was force ventilatedduring the work using a fan systemsupplied by Factair Ltd. Backgroundand specific task lighting was alsorequired. Plant and machinery forcarrying out the drainage work wassourced by the main contractor but theSVR utilised its own road rail machinesfor the track relaying. The nearest roadaccess to the site was approximately700 metres from the Kidderminstertunnel portal.

The bull head rail and sleepers throughthe tunnel were removed to theKidderminster end of the site fortemporary storage, sorting andscrapping by the SVR. Flat bottom rail(113lbs) was installed on concretesleepers throughout the tunnel and for10 lengths on the Bewdley side (35panels / 2100 ft in total). Initially, jointedrail was used in order to facilitatecompletion of the work for the half-termholidays, but this was subsequentlywelded during weekday possessions toproduce CWR.

The rail was sourced from Network Railas part of their disposals policy havingbeen cascaded down from the east coastmain line. The rail was inspected andultrasonically tested by the SVR atWhitemoor recycling centre beforepurchase and delivery to site. Sleeperswere obtained from two primary sources.Ballast was clean 40mm sourced fromClee Hill. Once laid, the track wastamped, finishing at 21:30 on 10thFebruary so as to be ready for operationsto resume the following morning.

New concealed signalling andtelecommunication cables were installedduring the work throughout the length ofthe work site and these were tested andcommissioned prior to the resumption ofpassenger services on 11 February.


t: 01473 746400f: 01473 747123e: [email protected]

Factair Ltd 49 Boss Hall RoadIpswich, Suffolk IP1 5BN

Tunnel VentilationDURING ENGINEERING WORKFactair provide a complete temporary tunnel ventilation and air quality monitoring service.

We control the environment within the workplace by managing and clearing air pollution from sources such as:- multiple engine exhausts, ballast handling, welding, cutting and grinding.

SERVICES WE OFFER INCLUDE:

Feasibility studies with adaptable ventilation schemes to including both self contained engine driven and modular electrically powered fans to allow tailored solutions

Deployment and maintenance staffContinuous air quality monitoring and pollution warning serviceEnvironmental condition report on completion

(Top) More ballast arrives.(Below) A load of sleepers fortrack inside the tunnel passesFactair’s ventilation fan.


Rolling

Boulders


here have been several instances overthe years where trains have hit debris

that has fallen onto a track and caused aderailment. In high risk areas, it is notuncommon for avalanche shelters to bebuilt which are strong enough to withstandthe force of anything that can roll down ahillside. These can frequently be seen in theAlpine areas of Switzerland and Austria andsome exist in the UK, the Cambrian line justsouth of Fairbourne being an examplewhere rock falls from the cliffs of Friog have,in the past, caused trains to derail andplummet into the sea.

The Pass of Brander AccidentScotland has its fair share of high risk spots

and, on the 6 June 2010, a train fromGlasgow to Oban hit a boulder in the Pass ofBrander just west of Falls of Cruachan station(see the rail engineer issue 69 July 2010). Thefront coach of the 2 car DMU derailed to theleft and could have rolled down theembankment onto the A85 road and intoLoch Awe if trees and vegetation had notprevented its passage. The section wasequipped with an automatic stone guardsystem consisting of 10 single strand ‘piano’wires which, if any were broken, wouldreplace to danger one or more of 17

semaphore ‘stone’ signals either side of thebreak. Such was the perceived risk that thisdetection system had been installed instages by the Caledonian Railway between1893 and 1913. In 2010, however, the

displaced boulder had tumbled from belowthis wire screen and thus was not detected.The subsequent RAIB investigationproduced recommendations for a betterinspection, maintenance and recordingregime including the production of newstandards. No comment was made on theeffectiveness of the detection system, norwhether an improved system should beinvestigated.

A New Detection ConceptTo protect against any immediate repeat

of the incident, major geological protectionwork was authorised and QTS was awardeda contract to clear vegetation, improve thedrainage and fettle up the piano wiredetection system. QTS are a privatecompany specialising in linesidemanagement, the initials originally meaningquality tree surgeons, but now morerealistically standing for Quality TechnicalServices. All this represents goodprecautionary measures but Network Rail inScotland believed that a more effectivemeans of detection was possible. Couldlessons be learnt from elsewhere?

It came to light that BT had used fibreoptic cables to detect rock falls on to roads,so this concept was investigated. Theprinciple is based upon a fibre having amarginal change in its refractive index if avibration occurs. This can be detected by theinjected light source being partially reflectedat the vibration point, which in turn can becalculated by distance from the light source.Fibre optic cable faults are located in asimilar manner, using an optical timedomain reflectometer. In theory, the biggerthe ‘thump’, the bigger the refractionchange. More ferreting yielded theinformation that the principle had beentried in Yorkshire to detect cable thievessince the removal of trough lids and anydisturbance of cables would cause a fibre to‘blip’. This trial was mostly successful andmay well be taken further.

Accordingly, a contract has been let via BTto Fotech Solutions, a company based inFleet, Hampshire, to undertake a ‘Proof ofConcept’. This involves setting up a trial site,establishing a testing methodology, rollingdifferent sizes of boulders down a hill,measuring the disturbance on a controlledlength of fibre optic cable and producing aset of test results with accompanying analysis.

T

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11.30 – 11.50 The road to ‘World Class’ Catherine Behan

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The Trials UnderwayGetting a suitable test site has not been

easy but QTS came to the rescue bycreating a small artificial length of railwayat their Rench Farm depot site nearDrumclog, half way between Hamilton andKilmarnock. A hillside has been constructedreplicating the Pass of Brander and 30boulders of varying sizes have been madefrom drums filled with concrete and coatedwith plastic. The fibre optic cable layout is alaser light source and sensor located in anadjacent test hut connected firstly to a 1kmreel of mono mode fibre, then secondly to afibre in a 400m length of fibre cable as usedon the FTN (Fixed Telecoms Network)project, thirdly to a 5km reel of fibre andlastly to a second 400m length of fibrecable.

The fibre cable is run outside at the footof the ballast shoulder on both sides of thetest track. The light source uses thestandard 1540 nm wavelength common onoptical transmission systems. Coupled tothis test length are the various measuringequipments with the resultant fibreperformance being shown graphically bydistance on a laptop computer. Fotechclaim that a vibration can be detected to adistance of 2½ metres in a 10 km length.

An important element of the trial is todistinguish, within a reasonable degree ofaccuracy, the difference between normalvibrations as would be caused by a passingtrain, or even someone walking in closeproximity, and a boulder rolling down thehillside and fouling the track, hence the

importance of testing different size andweight boulders. Another variable will bethe height above rail level that the bouldercommences its descent. Facilitated by QTSstaff, Fotech are arranging test heights of 2,5, 7 and 10 metres. The smallest boulderscan be lifted into place by hand but the bigones need a ‘grabber’ JCB perched on thehill top to place them in position.

Once the go signal is given, the bouldercareers down the hill towards the track; thesmaller ones tend to ride over the cess,bounce off the rail and return to the cess;the bigger ones ride the cess and stop witha clang against the rail. Any train would hitthese with considerable force. A boulderwas not observed to climb the rail into the 4foot but this is obviously possible since ithappened at the Pass of Brander.

Back in the test hut, the rollings areobserved by a strong peak on the fibremeasurement graph. Since the fibre existson both sides of the rail, two peaks areobserved. These peaks can be captured andused to trigger an alarm. Records are beingkept of the exact position where the variousboulders come to rest. Further tests willinvolve a road-railer vehicle being put onthe track and moved up and down tocompare this with the vibrations caused bythe boulders.

Next StepsIt looks like the ‘proof of concept’ trial will be

successful. If so, the next stage will be to install400m of fibre cable in the Falls of Cruachanarea, including through the Pass of Brander,and connect this to onsite test equipment.This will establish how well the systemperforms on a real railway and will evaluatethe profiles of normal vibration likely to beencountered.

Assuming this is able to pick out unusualevents, then a third stage will be embarked onby extending the fibre cable to a 20km lengththrough this whole section of the Oban routeand terminating it in an RETB repeater site.The associated equipment room will beprovided with a line that can support ISDN orIP connections, thus enabling the alarms to bemonitored from a central point.

Future PotentialWhilst it is acknowledged that much testing

/ proving has still to be done, this systemcould completely change the way theproblems of falling boulders and otherobstructions are managed. If successful, theancient and difficult to maintain piano wiresystem will be abolished. It is frequentlytriggered by deer and walkers so few will missit. Beyond that, the Network Rail geotechnicalgroup will consider installing similarequipment at other high risk locations.

With the roll out of the FTN, most rail routesnow have a fibre optic cable installedtrackside. A spare fibre within these cablescan be utilised for the detection systemobviating the need to run out a dedicatedcable. Significant cost advantages will result.

The means by which and to where thealarm signals are sent and interpreted willneed careful thought. Too many false alarmswill quickly give the system a bad name. Theopportunity for using the technology todetect cable theft has already beenmentioned. It may however be some timebefore that full potential is realised.

Thanks are expressed to Ian Findlay, thesenior project engineer at Network Rail, PhilJones from QTS for managing the site visitand facilitating the boulder drops andLindsay McInnes from Fotech for being theonsite brain and explaining the technology.

he Swedes are very good atcollaboration. So it should be no

surprise that a project to develop a newconcept of train that is economical,environmentally friendly and able towithstand the rigours of a Nordic wintershould be developed in Sweden.

The Green Train (in Swedish - GrönaTåget) is a research and developmentprogramme which brings togetherinstitutes of higher education,infrastructure managers, railway companiesand train manufacturers in a commonprogramme. Since its inception in 2005 theobjective has been to develop a conceptproposal for a new, attractive high-speedtrain adapted to Nordic conditions that isflexible for several different tasks on therailway and interoperable in theScandinavian countries.

The proposal is intended to act as a bankof ideas, recommendations and technicalsolutions for railway companies, trackmanagers and the manufacturing industry.It is an open source, which means that it isaccessible to all conceivable stakeholders.

The research programme has alreadyattracted the interest of the industry both inSweden and other countries. However,despite the name, there is no finished GreenTrain. It exists as two weighty reports on theconcepts and findings of the project.

PartnersA number of organisations contributed to

the project, but the main ones wereTrafikverket (the Swedish Transport Admin-istration), Bombardier Transportation Sweden,the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), andthe Swedish state railway operator SJ.

Christer Löfving of Trafikverket explains.“Since 1988, the Swedish railway sector haschanged a lot in terms of organisation,management and responsibilities. A newinfrastructure manager has been createdand a number of new operators have beenestablished. However, most of thoseoperators are too small to carry out theirown vehicle R&D work, so universities andresearch institutes have taken over much ofthat railway research.

“By rolling several of these researchprogrammes together, we set up the GreenTrain Research and Development

T


[groe:na ‘tɔ:gɛt]


Gröna Tåget

The Regio 250Developmenttrain.


Programme. Its aim was to develop a trainconcept and technologies to provide moreattractive, efficient and still more climate-friendly train services for long-distance andfast regional traffic. At the same time, wewanted to influence the development ofEuropean standards and train concepts forNordic conditions while maintaining andfurther strengthening our competence todevelop trains in Sweden by involving asmany organisations as possible within theSwedish railway sector into the programme.”

A comprehensive range of subjects was tobe considered as part of the project. Theseincluded:• Economy and capacity• Market, train services and conceptual

design• Attractive and functional passenger

environment• Environment - energy and noise

attenuation• Track-friendly running gear and

suspension• Carbody tilt• Nordic weather conditions• Aerodynamics• Electric propulsion and current collection• Safety and the driver’s environment• Train maintenance• Standards for European and Nordic

countries.

Lower faresOne of the most interesting investigations

was to see whether the application of newtechnology could bring passenger faresdown. Larger trains, carrying morepassengers more economically, shouldreduce operator costs and allow them toreduce fares.

With the X2000 train needing replacementin ten years, and with the railway systemfacing mounting passenger criticism forunreliability in winter conditions, this was

not going to be purely an academic exercise.Tohmmy Bustad of Trafikverket explains

the concept that came out of the project:“The Green Train is a collection of ideas,proposals and technical solutions that suitthe Nordic market well. We concluded that afast, tilting electric multiple unit train whichcan run at up to 250 km/h on conventionallines and maintain higher speed thanconventional trains on curves was the bestsolution. A special high-speed versionshould also be suitable for about 320 km/hon future dedicated high-speed lines. Thetrain must be accessible to all regardless ofage or ability, have a flexible train length,and be track-friendly as well as attractiveand cost effective.

“This will result in shorter travelling timesand lower costs, enabling operators tocharge lower fares. An attractive, functional

passenger environment with a high level ofcomfort for all is most important so thattravellers choose the train instead of othermodes of transport.”

Wayward elkThe Nordic countries have some special

conditions which make the job of trainoperators more difficult. Oskar Fröidh ofKTH, author of Part A of the final report,listed some of these. “Harsh WinterConditions” was in first place - no surprisethere. However, second was “Elk and Deer onthe Line” - apparently in times of deep snowthese large animals find that railway linesmake excellent pathways!

The rest of Oskar’s list is more predictable.Conventional lines include some new linkswith speeds of up to 250 kph, but there aremany sinuous slower lines with mixed heavyfreight and passenger traffic.

However, Sweden, as well as Norway,Finland and parts of Denmark, is fortunate tohave a wider loading gauge even thancontinental Europe. To date that advantagehasn’t been utilised, but the Green Trainconcept will have seats five across (3+2) in acabin 3.5 metres wide. This will give 25%more seats than a continental carriage with300 seats in a train just 108 metres long (acomparable continental train would be 134metres long, while the current X2000 is 165metres). The wide-body trains will have 15%lower total costs than narrower trains (and20-25% lower than the X2000).

In Oskar’s opinion, this lower cost base willallow modern trains to compete with airlineson short to medium length routes, and attractpassengers out of their cars and onto rail.

Practical evaluationHaving come up with a series of proposals

and concepts, work was needed to start todevelop and evaluate these ideas.Bombardier Transportation modified aRegina 250 train to act as a test bed whileremaining in regular passenger service. Thisallowed new technology to be assessed inreal-life situations and to be exposed to therigours of revenue-paying service and theSwedish winter.

One of the prime components to gothrough this process was a new bogie. Basedon 25 years of experience with the concept,this is a self-steering bogie which reduceslateral forces on the track by 40%, soreducing wear and rolling resistance.

The new SJ3000train.(Below) Monitoringperformance on theRegio 250.


Developed from lower speed designs, thenew bogie is certified for 250kph and hasbeen tested at 303kph on a track designedfor only 200kph running. The new bogie hasbeen tested under the Regio 250 for over500,000 km of in-service running withoutproblems.

Active suspension is another newdevelopment. It keeps the car body centred,allowing use of the maximum gauge width,and also gives better stability in crosswindsand on curves. The result is also a morecomfortable ride for passengers and onceagain this has been tested for 500,000 km.

The use of permanent magnet motors,

developed by Bombardier in Sweden at theVästerås facility, has saved weight, given thetrain a better power-to-weight ratio andsimplified the cooling requirements.

Snow and iceWinterisation is not a specifically Swedish

problem, but it is vital in this northerncountry. “At low temperatures, snow gets ineverywhere - you can’t stop it” commentsHenrik Tengstrand of BombardierTransportation. “It comes in the coolingducts, and anywhere else it can find. Onceinside the train, or on the externalequipment, it goes through cycles of

freezing and melting, humidity andcondensation. We even can get theunderbody bombarded by stones fromballast excited by dropping ice from thetrain. We design to prevent it, but we stillneed regular deicing.”

A good aerodynamic shape helps, andthousand of virtual wind tunnel tests haveresulted in a shape that has 20-30% lowerdrag and uses 10-15% less energy thanearlier designs. “The final shape is always acompromise,” Tengstrand adds. “The bestoutline for low drag resistance is notnecessarily good for crosswind stability, andvice versa. However, we have hadBombardier’s best people on the problem - 5divisions of the company in 6 differentcountries have been involved in the project -and we are happy with the finished result.”

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(Left) SJ3000 leavesStockholm Central.(Above) Regio 250feels the cold.


In fact, having multiple partners hasallowed the team to call on a large numberof engineers and academics, all at PhD-level,so blurring the distinction between the two.

The name “Green Train” implies that thereis an environmental aspect to the project.Reducing the energy consumption formspart of this, as does an important exercise toreduce noise. On the train, the use ofimproved wheel designs and bogie skirtshad a significant effect resulting in the testtrain at 250kph emitting no more noise thana conventional passenger train at 160kphand a freight train at 100kph. Infrastructureengineers got in on the act as well, and insensitive areas tuned rail dampers,combined with a low height barrier close tothe track and the aforementioned bogieskirts, reduced noise levels still further.

Energy-saving techniques on which therail engineer has reported before have alsobeen employed. Regenerative braking andeco-driver management systems are bothpart of the Green Train concept.

The design of the train’s interior hasn’tbeen neglected. A team of 16 students ofKonstfack, the University College of Arts,Crafts and Design, have worked on theproject under the guidance of OlleLundberg. Thin-backed seating designsmaximised legroom for passengers, and thewide body allowed for 3+2 seating ineconomy class and 2+2 in first class.

Luggage and wheelchair facilities weretaken into account, and a special entrancelobby with a low floor and an integralwheelchair lift designed. “In winter, peoplehave a lot of coats”, added Lundberg, “andwe had to find space for them as well.”

New trainSo that is the Green Train. A concept more

than a finished design, a test bed not a newclass. However, the new concepts arealready bearing fruit as can be seen fromSwedish Railway’s newest train - the SJ3000.Built by Bombardier, which knows it as theX55, this new four-car set entered service inFebruary 2012.

Externally, some of the Green Train’spedigree can be seen as severalwinterisation ideas have been included inthe design. The cab front is smooth withoutany gaps between panels which couldbecome packed with snow and ice. Thewindscreen wiper parks vertically so snowwon’t gather on it, and the light clusters areon the outboard edge of the front panel, sowhen snow slides down off the heatedwindscreen, it doesn’t obscure the lights.

The coupler has a cover that has to beremoved before use, but which stops snowand ice entering into the mechanism. Thereis an integral rubber gaiter for the samereason. The bogies are also speciallyengineered. All the cables and hydraulicpipes are tucked neatly out of sight, again to

prevent ice build-up, and the bump stopsare angled and plastic-covered so any icewill break up easily and slide off.

On the train sides, air intakes are locatedright up at the edge of the roof, to keepthem away from the powdered snow thatblows around the train while it is in motion.Under the frames are big open spaces sothat snow can swirl around and fall away,without compacting on under-floormounted equipment.

Inside, the car body is wide and spacious,although the seating is only 2+2 in both firstand second class. There is a bistro carreminiscent of one from a Virgin Pendolino,and a fancy lift mechanism to getwheelchairs from ground level up to themain aisle.

So parts of the Green Train are now inservice. No doubt more of the technologywill follow in years to come.

(Below) Wide bodyof SJ3000.(Right) Wheelchairaccess lift.

(Top) Regio 250 atOrnskoldsvik.(Right) SJ3000ready to leaveStockholm Central.

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ith its world famous collection, York’sNational Railway Museum (NRM) is

truly a Mecca for railways enthusiasts.Impressive though its locomotives are, themuseum’s small exhibits can be equallyworthy of the visitor’s interest. This iscertainly true of the eight cases forming theNRM’s “Talking about Trains” exhibitioncelebrating the birth of the Institution ofLocomotive Engineers (ILocoE) in 1911. In1969, it amalgamated with the Institution ofMechanical Engineers (IMechE) to becomethe IMechE’s Railway Division.

The exhibition was opened on 17 Januaryby Steve Davies, Director of the NRM, and BillReeve, Chairman of the IMechE’s RailwayDivision. Bill was glad to see today’s RailwayDivision continuing the traditions whichwere started a hundred years ago; topromote railway engineering excellence andgive today’s engineers the opportunity todevelop their skills. Although technologychanges, the basic engineering challengesremain and he was confident that today’srailway engineers could match theachievements of their predecessors.

In his address, Steve acknowledged theengineers contribution, with Mallard’s 126mph steam speed record in 1938 being agood example. The NRM is to celebrate nextyear’s 75th anniversary when two preservedA4 locomotives are to be shipped fromNorth America to join the UK’s fourpreserved A4s and the NRM’s Mallard. Thesecelebrations, together with NRM’s Railfest inJune will be a treat for anyone interested in

steam locomotive traction. He encouragedthose wanting further information to consultthe museum’s website www.nrm.org.uk.

Eight months in the planning, theexhibition is open until 15th April andincludes exhibits from the Museum’scollection and the IMechE’s Library. Theseprovide a wealth of information about thehistory of the Institution, its Engineers, therailway industry and today’s RailwayDivision.

The Institution of LocomotiveEngineers

At the end of the nineteenth century,there was little information available to helpthose who wanted to know more aboutrailway rolling stock, so self improvementgroups were started at major railwaycentres. In 1909, the StephensonLocomotive Society was formed to cater forboth enthusiasts and professionals. Feelingthat this did not adequately addresstechnical issues, George Frank Burtt of theLondon, Brighton and South Coast Railwayled a breakaway group of London-basedrailway companies to form a new society,the Junior Institution of LocomotiveEngineers, which first met on 4 February1911. With senior engineers joining, theprefix Junior was dropped. By 1911, theILocoE had a membership of 52.

At first costs were minimal with meetingsheld in company offices, but with increasingactivity a Finance Committee was set up. In1915 the Institution had 178 members and

was incorporated as an Association Not forProfit with the principle objective being “Theadvancement of the science and practice ofLocomotive Engineering by enquiry,experiment or other means; the diffusion ofknowledge regarding LocomotiveEngineering by means of lectures,publications, exchange of information andotherwise; the improvement of the status ofthe Locomotive Engineer”.

Membership and activities rapidlyexpanded with the first regional centresbeing established in Leeds (1918),Manchester (1919) and Glasgow (1920). By1921, membership was 1120 and a Librarywas founded. Presentation and discussion ofpapers at each of these centres was animportant activity. From 1915 these werepublished in the ILocoE’s journal whichreported the discussions verbatim. Togetherwith a full programme of UK and overseasvisits and social events such as the annualluncheon, the Institution was clearlymeeting its objective.

Six of the Institution’s Presidents (HenryFowler, Edwin Kitson Clark, Nigel Gresley,William Stanier, Oliver Bulleid and RolandBond) also served as IMechE Presidents, areflection of the close links between the twoInstitutions. It was first suggested that thetwo Institutions should merge in the 1920sbut agreement could not be reached on anumber of issues. By the 1960s it wasbecoming clear that the ILocoE could notcontinue as an independent body and so, in1969, the two Institutions amalgamatedwith the ILocoE becoming the IMechE’sRailway Division.

W

Talking

David Shirresw r i t e r

aboutTrains

(Top) Talking abouttrains exhibitions.(Right) “The greatand the good” acase in theexhibition. (Farright) Bill Reeve.


International AffairsFrom the start the ILocoE had an interest in

overseas practice and developed internationalconnections. The first paper presented to theInstitution on 27 May 1911 was “FrenchLocomotive Practice”, and later that year therewere visits to Belgium, Austria and Germany.In 1920, the first overseas centre wasestablished in Buenos Aires. Around this timeILocoE representatives were appointed inIndia, Nigeria, South Africa and China. Furtheroverseas Centres were established in Calcutta(1930) and Western Australia (1932).

A visit to Germany in 1936 took place threeweeks after the Reichsbahn’s 4-6-4 steamlocomotive 05.002 had achieved a 124.5

mph speed record. This visit included a triphauled by this locomotive at up to 118 mph.Steve Davies considers that this visitarguably led to Mallard’s 126mph record twoyears later beating its German rival by 1.5mph, truly a close run thing! To modern eyesthe swastikas in exhibits from this visitappear sinister. However, despite thegrowing divide between Britain andGermany, the engineers had a close

relationship. One exhibit is the paperpresented to the Institution in 1935 “HighSpeed and the Steam Locomotive” byRichard Wagner, the Reichsbahn’s ChiefMechanical Engineer. German engineersalso joined the ILocoE’s 1938 summermeeting in Scotland.

The IMechE Railway Division hascontinued the tradition of overseas visits.With the globalisation of the rail industry inmore recent times, it has arranged visits wellbeyond Europe to Singapore, Malaysia, USA,Japan and China.

All Sides of IndustryThe Institution provided an important

forum between Britain’s manufacturingindustry and engineers running Britain’srailways. Presidential addresses showing thevalue of this forum include those by Richard

(Left) Institution’svisit to Germany in1936. (Bottom)Commemorativebadge from theInstitution’s 1936visit to Germany.


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Maunsell (1916) and William Stanier (1938)who both highlighted maintenanceproblems from poor design. Maunsell’sstrong views are reflected in his paper’sconclusion “the engineer instinctively looksfor the prominence of details which heknows should be accessible and he rightlyregards as a monstrosity a machine which islacking in this respect”.

In 1921 the Institution elected its firstPresident from the locomotive manufacturingindustry, Lt-Col Kitson Clark of Kitson and Co.Presidents followed from Vulcan Foundry,Beyer Peacock, Hunslet, English Electric andthe North British Locomotive Company. Thisonce strong industry provided the Institutionwith a great deal of support. Unfortunately, itsdecline resulted in a significant loss ofadvertising in the Journal, one of the reasonswhy the ILocoE was unable to exist as anindependent Institution.

A long tradition of meetings with railwayinfrastructure engineers dates back to thefirst joint meeting held with the PermanentWay Institution in 1928, when HaroldHolcroft presented his paper “Some pointsof common interest in Rolling Stock &Permanent Way”. In 1949 the first meetingwith the Institution of Railway SignalEngineers was held when famous authorOswald S Nock, a member of bothInstitutions, presented his paper “Therelationship between Signalling and BrakePower in the Handling of Modern Traffic”.

Testing Testing With the development of the modern

steam locomotive, testing becameincreasingly important to perfect designs.Although France, Germany and America hadstatic locomotive testing plants in the 1930sthere were none in the UK. Hence testing

required special test trains withdynamometer cars, sometimes with teststaff accommodated in wooden testingstations on a locomotive’s front buffer beam.Gresley devoted his 1928 Presidentialaddress to a plea for a static locomotiveplant to be part of Britain’s National PhysicalLaboratory, which then had expensivefacilities for perfecting designs of ships andaeroplanes. Such was Gresley’s belief instatic testing facilities that, in 1934, hearranged for his prototype P2 2-8-2locomotive to be tested at the French testplant in Vitry-sur-Seine near Paris.

Construction of a testing plant at Rugbystarted in the late 30s. One exhibit is aprogress report showing construction to bewell advanced by July 1939. Unfortunately,the war delayed completion until 1948, 12years before production of the UK’s last steamlocomotive. Although this limited the plant’scontribution to UK steam locomotive design,it was a useful facility as demonstrated by oneexhibit, a 1953 test report on the efficiency ofan exhaust steam injector with two types ofcoal. As this test required 9120 miles of staticrunning it may not have been possiblewithout this static plant.

Changing TimesThe ILocoE, and subsequently the Railway

Division, have had to respond to the manyorganisational, industrial and technicalchanges faced by Britain’s railways. In 1948,nationalisation brought about a commonlocomotive maintenance practicethroughout British Railways. President Lt-ColHarold Rudgard’s address “Organising &Carrying Out of Examinations at RunningSheds in Relationship to LocomotivePerformance and Availability” outlined LMSpractice which was soon adoptedthroughout British Railways of which anexhibit of an X Exam card provides anexample.

The 1950s onwards were a challengingtime with diesel and electric motive powerreplacing steam, the introduction ofspecialised rolling stock and themanufacturing industry’s decline. Oneexhibit is the programme for the Institution’svisit to Brush at Loughborough in 1965showing class 47 locomotive construction.The ILocoE provided support as engineersadapted to these changes and, in 1957,widened its scope to include carriage and

wagon engineering. With the new motorwaynetwork, railway engineers had to combatincreased competition from the car. Variousexhibits illustrate how the development ofthe High Speed Train met this challenge. Thespirit of this time is exemplified by anotherexhibit, Bruce Sephton’s 1986 Chairman’saddress to the IMechE Railway Divisionentitled “Railways Do or Die?”.

Today’s Railway DivisionToday the Railway Division has a

membership of 4,226 and runs an extensiveprogramme, including UK and overseasvisits with lectures and seminars at HQ andits six Regional Centres (Midlands, SouthEast, South West, North West, Scottish andNorth East). It also has a thriving youngmembers section with a prize awarded forthe best paper. The Division’s Journal of Railand Rapid Transit attracts research papersfrom around the world although it containslittle that is presented at Railway Divisionmeetings. Instead webcasts of keypresentations are available from the“Playitback” page on the IMechE website.This, no doubt, is a reflection of the internetage and perhaps is the only significantdeparture from ILocoE traditions.

In this way, the Division continues to act asa learned society promoting best practice inrailway engineering, including new rollingstock, international standards and researchand development. Its programmeencourages the development of today’sengineers, as do its training workshops andprizes awarded for papers and innovations.The Division’s popularity is such that itsAnnual Luncheon is held in London’s onlyhotel that can provide over a 1000 lunches.Bill Reeve’s confidence in the RailwayDivision’s success is therefore well justified.The “Talking About Trains” exhibitioncontains much to explain this success and isa must for anyone with an interest in railwayengineering. Much of this article was based on a booklet

“One Hundred Years of Locomotive andRolling Stock Engineering” compiled by pastChairman Allan Baker, copies of which areavailable from the IMechE. Furtherinformation is available from the RailwayDevision’s website.

(Right) Sir NigelGresley, ILocoEPresident 1927-28and 1934-35. (Farright) A4Locomotive onstatic test plant atRugby. (Below)Southern Railwaylocomotive LordNelson withwooden testingstation on frontbuffer beam.


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the rail engineer - issue 89 - march 2012

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